Forced Norwegian Vacation
by aggiefrogger
Summary: What would have happened if Thor had stayed on Earth for a while before going to space with the Guardians (since he did so little to help his people after Infinity War)? So I wrote this story about Aunt May sending a depressed Peter to spend time with the god of Thunder, who's had his own experiences with loss. I don't own Marvel in any way, shape or form.
1. Chapter 1

** Hey everyone! **

**I decided to write a story about Peter and Thor meeting, since they haven't had an MCU interaction, and wondered what would've happened if Thor had stayed on Earth for a while before going to space with the Guardians (you know, since he did so little during the five years after killing Thanos to help his people). So I wrote this story about Aunt May sending a depressed Peter to spend time with the god of Thunder, who's had his own experiences with loss.**

**I hope you all enjoy it!**

**-aggiefrogger**

* * *

**Aftermath:**

It was a month after the Funeral, and Peter Parker was nowhere near okay.

Even seeing his old friends (especially Ned and MJ) didn't lift his spirits. Seeing his Aunt May didn't help, either, and he remained in a constant state of depression. It was as if every piece of news, good and bad, didn't do anything to make him feel better… or help him forget Tony.

The news stations didn't help either; everyone seemed to be mourning the loss of the head of Stark Enterprises, and everyone at school was talking about him and what he did to save everyone. The Ultimate Sacrifice, they called it; it was one for the history books, to be sure, and the surviving Avengers were hailed as heroes by some, nuisances by others. Peter just wished they would shut up about Tony, but felt guilty for wishing it afterwards.

Peter hadn't worn his suit since the final battle. Happy had fixed it and sent it back to him, but he couldn't wear it; it was made by Tony, and he just wanted to purge himself of anything that reminded him of the former head of Stark Enterprises. How kind but stern he was, how smart he was, and how much he believed that Peter would do great things someday…

He didn't talk to Ned outside of school, he didn't do his homework; his grades slipped, but the teachers thought it was normal (he was technically gone for five years, so it was expected of him to struggle with school). MJ knew something was off, however, and sometimes slipped him pictures she drew of him, but he threw them out, hating how sad she made him look, even if it was accurate. He was depressed and angsty, but he didn't care; after everything he went through, he deserved some time to get over it.

Aunt May worried about her nephew, asking him if he wanted to talk about what happened, but he shut himself in his room as soon as he came home, only coming out for meals. His room was a mess. He hadn't shaved, so he was starting to get some stubble on his face, and he had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep; if he stayed awake, the nightmares couldn't get him. Peter kept dreaming of that moment on the Battlefield, watching the one person who believed in him die. Why hadn't Peter given the gauntlet to that flying woman who blew up Thanos' ship? Why did Tony do what he did? Why didn't Peter use the Gauntlet himself? _Why_ seemed to be that eternal question that he could never answer.

He didn't answer the calls from Happy or Pepper; he didn't want _anything_ to do with the Avengers or heroes. He'd learned from Pepper after the war about how Tony had figured out time travel with the help of Scott Lang, but the other Avengers hadn't done anything to try to _use_ said time travel to save him. The Hulk (who was now a green Bruce Banner), had explained that they couldn't do anything to save him, but Peter couldn't see why they didn't use the Time Stone to revive him. By now, it was too late, since the Stones were now back in their original timelines, and Peter doubted he'd ever forgive them for not helping the man who helped them.

Finally, Aunt May couldn't take seeing someone she considered her son be so upset anymore, and called someone she'd met at the funeral; someone who'd worked with Tony Stark, if only briefly, asking if he could help Peter…

* * *

One Friday, when he got back from school, he was surprised to see that Aunt May was home and sitting in the living room; usually, she was at work until six, and home by seven.

"Hey, May," he grumbled, heading towards the fridge for a few snacks before he banished himself to his room. "You're home early."

"Yeah," she said from the living room. "I got off early. Peter, can I… can I see you for a second in here?"

Peter froze, realizing she probably wanted to talk about the Snap, the Blip, the Battle, the Sacrifice… "I'm good," he said quickly, walking past the living room towards his bedroom. "Gotta lot of homework and-"

"Peter," another voice said, and the teen stopped cold, backtracking to the living room.

It was small; they'd lost their old apartment and most of their stuff when they disappeared, but this new one was about the same size as the last one, and they had a settlement from the Avengers to pay for it until May built back up some credit and money in her bank account. It was filled with new, generic furniture; more purpose over style. Aunt May was sitting on the couch, staring expectedly at Peter, and standing next to her, red cape flowing behind him, was-

"Doctor Strange," Peter said, flashing back to the Battle. The sorcerer was wearing some blue robes, and the red cloak behind him seemed to flutter without wind. "H-H-Hi."

"Peter Parker," the man said, seeming to give off an aura of power as the cape fluttered windlessly. "I assume you remember who I am?"

The teen nodded; when Hulk brought everyone back, it was Doctor Strange who got everyone to the battle to fight Thanos. He was also the one who knew that Tony was going to die before Thanos snapped everyone away (thanks to the Time stone), so he didn't particularly like the sorcerer. "Aren't you supposed to be protecting the Earth? Because you did _such_ a good job last time."

"PETER," May reprimanded.

"I got a call from your Aunt May," the magician continued, seeming to ignore what the teen said. "She told me you haven't been yourself since Tony-"

"Stop," Peter demanded, taking off his backpack, "I know what you're gonna say; that everything's gonna be okay, that what happened with Tony wasn't my fault, or whatever you're gonna say to try and make me feel better-"

"No, I'm not," the sorcerer responded.

"So don't try to - - - What?" Peter wasn't expecting this; wasn't he supposed to be that adult that told the kid everything would be OK? The teen didn't want his help, but he was upset he didn't at least offer any aid.

"I'm not here to do any of that. That's not why your Aunt called me."

"Then why _are_ you here," Peter asked, looking at his worried Aunt.

"Peter," she started, tears swimming in her eyes as she looked at her hands, then something behind Peter, then back at her feet. He whirled around, seeing his uncle's old suitcase, which had been sitting in a closet since forever ago.

"May, why is Uncle Ben's-"

"I love you so much, Peter," she said, starting to cry.

Suddenly, Peter realized that the bag was meant for him, and he turned back to his aunt. "No-"

"Don't worry Peter," Doctor Strange said, lifting his hand and making circular motions with it, his fingers glowing with energy, "you'll be home before you know it."

"MAY," Peter yelled, starting to get angry. "WHAT DID YOU-"

A ring of orange passed over him, and he was no longer in the living room. He wasn't even sure he was in Queens.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Favorite and follow for more, and feel free to leave a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**New Asgard:**

Peter was standing on a green hill overlooking a small town. It was early evening wherever he was, and the wind blew against him, causing him to shiver in his t-shirt. Looking down, he saw the suitcase lying on the ground next to him.

Looking around, he tried to figure out where he was; he saw the ocean nearby, so he figured he was on the coast somewhere, and the village nearby looked like a fishing village; a harbor full of boats stood near the town, and the sea stretched out before being blocked by more tall hills. Taking out his smart phone, he pulled up the GPS, seeing where he was.

No!

Impossible!

He couldn't be in-

NORWAY?!

"STRANGE," he yelled, not caring if anyone heard him (did they even _speak_ English in Norway?). "TAKE ME HOME, NOW!"

Nothing happened. No bright light brought him back to New York. Nothing.

Peter screamed out of frustration, kicking the suitcase part of the way down the hill. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?! All he wanted was to be alone, but they seemed to come to him like flies to a spider web. He hated spiders. _And_ his Aunt May; why couldn't she mind her own business and let him grieve in peace? Giving in, he walked down to the suitcase, opening it to find enough clothes to last for about two or three weeks, a toiletry bag, and-

His hands recoiled away from the web shooters, suit, and mask as if they were acid, the blank eyes staring at him from the bottom of the suitcase. He quickly covered the uniform and closed the bag, trying not to think about the man who made it for him, looking at the town down the hill. Should he try going down there and ask where the nearest airport was? Again, did Norwegians even _speak_ English?

"Hello there!"

Peter yelped, whirling around at the voice; ever since the battle, his spidey-sense had been on the fritz, so he hadn't heard or sensed the speaker walk up behind him. Now staring at the speaker, he let out another yelp.

It looked like a large man, but he wasn't human, and towered over the teen. It appeared to made out of rocks; his skin was criss-crossed with cracks, and a few pebble-sized rocks fell off of him. It wore a pair of pants, a coat, and had a large, long, futuristic-looking gun slipped over his back.

"M'name's Korg," it said in a light, accented voice, offering a hand for Peter to shake. "You must be Spider-Ma- I mean Peter Parker. So nice to see you again. You don't look like a spider, based on pictures I've seen of spiders, but that's okay."

Peter tentatively shook the stone hand, which swallowed his own hand in its rough grip. "Hi... Korg. Do I... do I know you?"

"Oh, we fought in that big battle against Thanos a little over a month ago, bad bloke he was, and I remember seeing you on the battlefield. You shot that white stuff from your wrists like the, '_pew, pew_,' ya know?" The rock man mimicked Peter's web shooting, making the 'pew' noises underneath his breath.

Peter groaned, turning back to his bag; another reminder of Thanos. How many more of these reminders could be in Norway? "I don't wanna talk about that."

"Oh," Korg said, lowering his hands. "I can't blame you. After _my_ first battle, I was miserable. I lost all of my friends and loved ones, and then after that I was trapped in a death arena for over ten cy-"

"Do you _ever_ shut up," Peter snapped, picking up his bag and turning back to the rock man. "Look, I don't care about you and I don't wanna be here. I know Doctor Strange sent me here, and I assume you know that, so just take me where I'm supposed to go... Please," he added, feeling slightly bad for snapping at the kind rock guy.

The rock man looked hurt, his smile fading as he turned towards someplace to the left of the town. "Follow me," he said curtly, walking at a brisk place across the field. Peter trailed behind, feeling slightly guilty for snapping at Korg, but still upset with Strange and May for shipping him off to Norway (of all places) to 'get better' and 'move on' from Tony's death. What was wrong with letting him stay in his room until he felt better? He doubted anyone else that was grieving was shipped out of the country to talk about their feelings with a rock man.

They crossed the field, and Peter couldn't help marveling at how beautiful the view was; the sun had nearly set nearby, casting a soft glow on the small fishing town and the ocean. A larger group of land stood about a mile across the water, covered with green fields and cliffs. The grass ripples in waves as the wind caressed the green, and the smell of fresh air (so different from the city air) seemed to awaken the boy's lungs. For a second, he felt happy for the first time in weeks, but the feeling quickly faded, the sadness weighing him down like the bag in his hand.

After a few minutes of walking, they approached a small cabin set apart from the town. It wasn't the prettiest cabin; it was definitely old, but in a rustic sort of way. It had a cable antenna on the roof, showing that it's owner was in the 21st century, and a small, beat-up jeep sat nearby.

"Do you live here," Peter asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I live in the town with my best friend Miek," Korg said shortly, banging on the door loudly. "You're staying here with a friend of yours."

"_Friend,_" Peter asked, obviously confounded. Who did he know that lived in-

Heavy footsteps sounded inside the cabin and the door opened, revealing Thor, the Norse god of Thunder.

Peter gaped at the man. He didn't know _who_ was on the other side of the door, but he didn't expect _Thor_ to be there. The last time he'd seen Thor was at the funeral (though they hadn't talked), and Peter remembered he was wearing crocs for some reason. The Asgardian had a long, wild beard that was knotted and tied together, reminding the teen of a Celtic knot. He was tall, much taller than Peter thought, and a large gut poked out from his front, making him look a little like a homeless person. That was the part that had surprised Peter the most; he disappeared for five years and Thor lost his six pack and muscles in that period of time.

"Peter, son of Parker," the man boomed, grinning as he gave the boy a big bear hug, nearly crushing him. "We meet at last! I've heard good things about you from Stark and Happy Man! Welcome to New Asgard! Strange said you would be coming tonight!"

"Yeah," Peter gasped, grateful when the man finally let him go. "It's a thrill to be here."

Thor narrowed his eyes, and Peter noticed that one was hazel while the other was sky blue. "Was that sarcasm?"

Peter got nervous under the man's multicolored gaze. " … Y-Yes?"

" … Good!" His eyes lit up and he stepped aside for Peter to walk in. "I'm glad to see you still have a sense of humor! Thank you, Korg."

"No problem, Mr. Thor sir," the rock man said, turning away and walking back towards the village. "I gotta go; Meik's still waiting for dinner, and it's pizza night."

"Give him my greetings. See you tomorrow," Thor called out, waving at Korg as he disappeared into the night. Peter, still shivering in his t-shirt, walked into the cabin, and heard Thor shut the door behind him.

The cabin was small, and at the center of it a living room with a couch, comfy chair, and a large TV with several devices (including a gaming system) underneath it. There were a few empty beer bottles and cans strewn about, and the whole house smelled slightly of alcohol, though it appeared that someone had sprayed some air freshener in an attempt to cover it up. There was a doorway leading to a small hallway, which Peter assumed the bed rooms were, and another door led to a modest kitchen. It was also dark in the cabin, even with the lamps on, but a roaring fire in the fireplace warmed the whole building. Peter noticed that Thor's giant axe hung on the wall, gleaming in the firelight.

"I thought you lived in another dimension or something," Peter said, kicking a beer can off to the side. "Or that you went off with the Guardians of the Galaxy."

"Oh, Asgard got destroyed right before Thanos attacked New York looking for the stones," Thor grumbled. "Apparently, Loki and I had an evil sister named Hela and in order to save my people we brought them here, forming New Asgard. But it's not a place that makes a nation, it's the people. And as for the Guardians, they offered, but I needed some time to help Valkyrie transition to the throne, since I wasn't much help in the past five years."

"Yeah," Peter mumbled, sneezing at the smell of alcohol mixed with Hawaiian Haven. If the guy opened a mythology book years ago, he would've found out about Hella sooner. There was a reason that Thor wasn't the brightest Avenger; at least that's what Tony used to-

Peter cleared his throat. "How long am I staying here?"

"At least three weeks. Strange got a call from your Aunt a while ago, and in turn, he called me. Said something about you not feeling so good? … Maybe you needed someone time to relax and someone to talk to about what hap-"

"I'm fine," Peter snapped. "And I didn't consent to come here; Strange literally whisked me here a few minutes ago."

"But how did you-" Thor pointed at the suitcase.

"My Aunt must've packed it. _I_ certainly didn't."

Thor seemed to notice for the first time that the boy wasn't thrilled to be there, and wasn't pretending to be upset for a laugh. His eyes darted over the boy's pale face, the bags under his eyes, and the messy hair. The Asgardian seemed to sober up then, his grin fading as he pointed at the hallway. "Your quarters are down the hall, in the room with no door."

Peter quickly walked down the hall, putting as much distance between himself and the Asgardian, so he could try to make sense of what was happening. He found the room easily (it was the only one with no door), and found a simple bed, a dresser, a table, and a lamp. A small stool stood near the table, and the lamp appeared to be the only source of light in the room. He tossed his suitcase towards the dresser and flopped down on the bed, still mad at his Aunt May for sending him here. _And_ he was with Thor, of all people; sure, Peter had mentioned a long time ago he'd always wanted to meet Thor, but not like _this_. He'd always imagined them fighting some bad guy from another world, not being forced to spend weeks with the guy who wanted to talk about his feelings. It was _embarrassing!_

Peter turned on his side, looking out the window. He could see the ocean about a half mile away, the waves rolling in the moonlight. He couldn't hear anything besides the creaking of the cabin around him, and found the place too quiet compared to the constant noise of New York City. He wondered if they had noise machines for city people who were sleeping somewhere quiet. His phone didn't have international coverage, so he couldn't search for one; it was a miracle he could even us the GPS earlier.

He heard footsteps in the hall, then knocking on the door frame. "You hungry," Thor asked. "Valkyrie brought over some fresh fish about an hour ago."

"Not really," Peter lied, though his grumbling stomach gave him away.

"Come," Thor said sternly. "I will not let you starve while you're here." Peter sighed, got up off the bed, and followed the Asgardian into the kitchen.

There were more beer bottles strewn around, and Peter was surprised that the guy was even sober, and started to realize how he'd probably lost his six pack. Peter sat down at the table, staring at the grains on the table as he heard Thor rummaging around through the refrigerator and cabinets. Pretty soon, the smell of cooking fish filled the room, and the teen's nose prickled at the scent, which was pretty good.

"So… Parkerson," Thor said, poking at the fish with a fork, "how goes your schooling?"

"It's OK, I guess," Peter lied, still looking at the grain of the wood. "I had to start my school year over, though I'd already taken my midterms before the Snap. It sucks, but at least most of my friends are still there; they got Dusted as well."

"Good, good," the man boomed, flipping the fish. "I mean, not the Dusted part, that's horrible. It's good to have friends that help and support one another during this time."

Peter gave a harsh laugh. "Yeah, some support," he said sarcastically, remembering all of MJ's sketches of him; like _that_ was gonna help him feel better.

Thor remained silent after that, the sound of the sizzling fish breaking the tense silence. A few minutes later, the god of Thunder put a plate of fish in front of the boy, sitting in the seat across from him with his own plate of food. Peter picked up his knife and fork, slowly cutting and eating a piece of the fish, which tasted pretty good.

"The fishing village nearby is full of Asgardians and Sakaaran refugees," Thor said, trying to make polite conversation. "The Norwegians have been most kind to us. Most of them have become fishermen, _and_ women, while the rest have become farmers and textile workers; a few of them have even joined the Asgardian army. It's a simple life, but we enjoy it." The boy nodded, silently eating his fish. The Asgardian seemed to get the message, and ate his own fish, not trying to bring up any more conversation.

When he finished, Peter mumbled a "Thanks," put his dishes in the sink, and went off to his room, feeling tired. Usually, since it was still afternoon in NYC, he'd be wide awake, but he figured that Doctor Strange's magic must've changed his body's internal clock to match the Norwegian time zone. He crashed onto his bed, not bothering to take off his clothes, and soon fell into a blissfully dreamless sleep, the creaking of the wood in his ears.

* * *

When Peter woke up, he was thrown off for a second when he didn't recognize the room he was in. Turning to his left, he saw the window with a view of the sea, blinking in the morning light. The sky outside was a brilliant blue, with a few puffy clouds floating across the sky. If Peter was on vacation, he would've enjoyed the view, but upon remembering why he was there, he groaned turning to the right to fall back asleep. Then, he promptly screamed and few into the air, sticking to the ceiling above him, his heart pounding in his chest.

There was someone, some_thing_ standing next to his bed, now looking up at the teen. It was about the size of a small child, but it looked like a large bug or slug of some sort. What was even more surprising was the fact that it was wearing shorts and a too-big Hawaiian shirt, and had a small gun slung over its back. Peter flexed his wrist out of reflex, confused for a second when webs didn't shoot out. Then Korg walked into the room, following the creature's eyes up to the boy.

"Good morning," he said genially, and Peter guessed that the rock man had forgiven him for the night before. "I see you've met my best friend Miek."

"_Tha-That's_ Miek," Peter asked, still hanging from the ceiling as his heart started to calm down.

"Yeah. He's a Sakaaran insectoid. We met in the battle arena we had to fight to the death in and became best friends. Say hi, Miek." The creature waved a hand at the boy, who cautiously swung down from the ceiling, landing lightly on the floor.

"Ni-Nice to meet you," he stammered, tentatively shaking one of the roach's arms. It made a clicking noise, which Peter figured was it's response.

"He just came to wake you up for breakfast. Valkyrie's here and made waffles with those red berries that Miek likes so much. Straw-" The bug creature made another clicking noise with its pincers. "Strawberries," the rock creature translated. "Do you like those?"

"Yeah," Peter said, trying to sound upbeat even though he wasn't.

"Good! You must be hungry; you've slept through the past twenty-four hours!" Peter, still a little freaked out by the creature's appearance, nodded his head as followed the two creatures into the kitchen, finding Thor sitting at the table, sipping a glass of amber liquid. At the counter, using a waffle maker, was-

"You're the Pegasus lady," Peter said dumbly, staring at the young woman.

"Valkyrie, actually," she said smiling. She wasn't wearing the white outfit he'd seen her in during the battle, nor was she riding a flying horse; instead, she was wearing jeans, a t-shirt with some Norwegian band on the front, and a coat, her hair pulled up in a beanie. "You're the spider guy, right?"

"Sp-Spider-man," he mumbled, sitting at the table. _Great, how many people from the battle do I have to see,_ Peter thought, picking up his fork and taking a bite of the waffle, which tasted pretty good. It angered him; how could anything be good with Tony gone? Korg and Miek quickly scarfed down their waffles, running into the living room and grabbing a pair of game controllers. "What time is it?"

"A little before nine," Valkyrie said, sitting down at the table with her own plate of food. "Korg and Miek are here to play their stupid video games. Now Thor, don't let them play all day," she warned, pointing her fork at the large man. "It's not healthy for them. And make sure you work out today."

"Fine," Thor grumbled, some crumbs and bits of strawberry in his large beard. "I'll send them to help you train some of the new soldiers after lunch."

"And you'll join them," she nodded, taking a bite of her waffles while the Avenger grumbled his consent. "And what about you," she asked, looking at Peter.

"How should I know," Peter complained, stabbing at a piece of waffle. "I'm the one who was brought here against my will!

Valkyrie raised her eyebrows in surprise, shooting a glance at Thor.

"His Aunt called," the bearded god said, carefully avoiding the woman's gaze. "Said he needed some time and space to get over what happened with Tony-"

Peter threw down his fork, quickly leaving the kitchen table before either adult could react. He passed Korg and Miek playing some game on the TV, but he ignored them, quickly going to his room. Going to his suitcase, he grabbed the web shooters, keeping them on long enough to block off the doorway before chucking them into the corner of the room.

He didn't want Valkyrie's pity; he could only guess how many people knew he was here, and how much he was hurting. Strange. May. Happy. Thor. Korg. Miek. And now Valkyrie. Peter could only guess how many people from the village knew he was here; ready with their condolences and their pity, saying how much Tony treated him like a son-

Peter slid under the covers of his bed, imagining that it was a hug. He didn't want anyone to bother him, but he craved to be held for some bizarre reason. _Maybe this is how I grieve_, he thought, covering himself with the heavy quilt. Some people just needed to be alone until they were ready to be around people, but his Aunt May had taken that option away from him, and he resented her for it.

No one bothered him for the next couple of hours (which was how long the webs lasted until they disintegrated). Peter was surprised Thor hadn't used his giant axe to break down the barrier, which made him feel more upset for some reason.

_If he's supposed to help me, why isn't he_, he thought bitterly, forgetting for a moment that he didn't want any help. Even after the webs collapsed, no one came into the room, though he heard some footsteps in the hall outside, sometimes stopping at the doorway before retreating a few minutes later.

Finally, around twelve forty-five, Peter got out of bed. He had to use the restroom, and he was getting hungry; he hadn't finished his waffles that morning, and it was getting close to lunch time. After he left the restroom, he wandered into the living room, finding it empty; Korg and Miek must've left with Valkyrie while he was in his room. Looking out the window, he saw that it was a prefect day outside, but he didn't want to go outside, walking into the empty kitchen instead. As he stared around the room, he noticed that the house was eerily quiet; _too_ quiet.

"Mr. Thor," he called out, expecting to hear the Asgardian's deep voice in reply. Nothing. Peter walked back into the living room, and noticed that the Norse god's axe was missing from its place on the wall. Where the heck was-

Suddenly, the couch lurched forward, throwing the teen to the ground.

"What the-"

He looked up to find Thor standing there, the giant axe in his hands. Peter finally saw the hero he was used to; even in his sweat pants, coat and crocs, his eyes glowed with energy, the air cackling with electricity around him. The beard made him look more like those Norse gods from those myth books, so Peter was pretty scared when the guy emerged from behind the overturned couch, holding his axe that cackled with energy.

"T-Thor," Peter stammered. "What are you-"

"H-YAH," the god of Thunder yelled, swinging his axe down towards the boy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Not Your Fault:**

Peter yelped and rolled out of the way, the ground where he was lying a second earlier pulverized by the axe, which gave off a burst of energy that blew the teen farther away from the Asgardian. Hitting a wall, he quickly climbed to his feet, his body on high alert as the man yanked the axe out of the cabin floor, turning his glowing eyes towards the boy.

"THOR," Peter yelled, confused and scared as to why one of his personal heroes and an Avenger was trying to kill him. "WHAT'S GOING-" The hair stood up on the back of his neck as the air became charged with particles. Peter jumped a split second before the arc of lightning shot out from the axe, shattering the wall behind him.

_At least my spidey-sense is back_, he thought, too terrified to celebrate.

He swung down, quickly dashing out of the smoking hole in the wall and running pell-mell across the grass. Stumbling along, he jumped to the left as another shot of lightning hit the ground near him. The sunny sky was suddenly covered with clouds, rumbling with thunder. It was like a nightmare, but it was too real for him to be asleep. Peter frantically looked around for a building to swing on but of course there was none. Even if there was, he didn't have his web shooters with him. He didn't have his phone either, so he couldn't call anyone for help. No one except-

"STRANGE," he yelled, out of breath as he ran up the hill, dodging another bolt of lightening. Peter wasn't sure if the sorcerer could even hear him, but it was the only hope he had at the moment. "STRANGE, HEL-"

He tripped over something, sending him sprawling to the ground. Tumbling a few feet, he landed on his back hard, knocking the air out of his lungs. Trying to breathe, he saw the god of Thunder standing over him, the axe glowing in his hands as the wind whipped around them. Peter tried to scream for him to stop, but he couldn't breathe. All he could do was close his eyes, brace himself as the sound of electricity cackling sounded, and-

"THOR! WHAT THE HELL?!"

There was a loud clanging noise, and the wind suddenly died down. Peter continued to lie there, his eyes closed, shuddering as his adrenaline started to die down. The metallic noise still rang in his ears, slowly fading as he started to hear the conversation between Thor and Valkyrie.

" … -thought he had his web things on! He sealed off his door with those webs earlier!"

"SO YOU ATTACK HIM?! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"I'm not just gonna let him sit around all day grieving! I will _not_ let him go down the same path I did! Strange said he hasn't fought crime since Tony died, and like it or not, he has a duty to this world, so I figured if he was under attack, he'd fight back, and-"

"NO, THOR! THAT WAS COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR! YOU COULD'VE _KILLED_ HIM, DID YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?! HOW WOULD HIS AUNT FEEL IF SHE LEARNED YOU KILLED HER _ONLY NEPHEW_ LESS THAN 48 HOURS AFTER BEING IN YOUR CARE?!"

Peter finally opened his eyes, seeing the woman arguing with the god of thunder, who had stopped glowing, though storm clouds still rumbled above them. If Peter thought Thor was scary, the glare in Valkyrie's eyes as she yelled at the bearded man scared Peter even more; the sword in her hand must've been the clanging noise he'd heard earlier. At least he could breathe now as he started to take deep, gulping breaths of air as the two Asgardians continued to bicker.

"-I didn't shoot any _deadly_ bolts at him! The worst he would've gotten was a small jolt! And you know we did this all the time back on Asgard-"

"Does he LOOK like an Asgardian to you," she screeched, pointing at the trembling teen. "You should've asked me before you pulled a stupid stunt like that! We're supposed to be helping him get over Stark's death! Why don't you just-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP," Peter finally yelled, sitting up and glaring at the two. They turned to look at the boy, as if noticing him for the first time; Thor looked almost ashamed at yelling in front of the boy while Valkyrie still wore rage on her face.

"I DIDN'T _ASK_ TO BE HERE," Peter shouted, slowly climbing to his feet. "I DON'T _WANT_ TO BE HERE! I WAS PERFECTLY FINE SITTING IN MY BEDROOM, WRAPPED IN MY BLANKETS AS I DID MY BEST NOT TO THINK ABOUT THANOS AND THE MONSTERS AND MEMORIES OF MR. STARK!" He was starting to tear up now, angry tears flowing from his eyes like the rain that started to fall from the clouds above the trio.

"DID ANY OF YOU STOP TO THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT I DON'T _WANNA_ SEE ANY OF YOU ALL?!" He turned his focus solely on Thor. "YOU WERE TONY'S BEST FRIEND, AND YOU LET HIM DIE! YOU DIDN'T STOP HIM FROM KILLING HIMSELF! WHAT KIND OF A HERO ARE YOU?!" The two adults stared at the teen, their faces a mixture of shock, sadness, and pity, which enraged the teen more. "AND _STOP PITYING ME_; JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Peter hadn't cried since the Battle, not even at the Funeral, but those pent up tears now came, mixing with the rain that now poured from the sky.

He pushed past Thor and Valkyrie, heading back towards the house. Whether anyone like it or not, he was going to grab his suitcase, go to the fishing town, charter a boat (or steal one), and sail to the nearest airport. He didn't care if he sneaked aboard a plane, but he was going back to New York City. Today. The rain poured around him, leaving him sopping wet by the time he reached the cabin.

* * *

As he climbed back through the destroyed wall, he kicked a piece of the wood out of the way, yelling at the debris in frustration. He walked into his room, punching a hole in the wall, nearly breaking his hand. Peter cried out in pain as he collapsed onto the bed, muffling his sobs in the pillow. He was angry at Thor for being reckless, at Valkyrie for pitying him, and at Strange and May, for thinking it was a good idea for him to come. And he was angry at all the Avengers for abandoning Tony when he needed their help the most. He was also angry at himself, but he would never admit it.

He didn't know how long he was lying there, but eventually, he heard footsteps in the hall, and a knocking on the door frame.

"Go away, Thor," Peter yelled, still burying his face in his pillow. "You too, Valkyrie."

"Oh good," a light voice said. "You didn't say anything about Miek and I, so I'm glad you want us to stay!"

Peter whirled around, seeing Korg walk into his room, Miek sitting on his shoulder before he jumped off, going to stand next to where Peter's head was. Both were dripping wet, leaving a puddle on the floor of Peter's room; it must still be raining outside.

"Hey," Korg said, squinting at Peter's face, "are you crying, or is that just rain water? I think it's tears, 'cause your eyes are red, unless you're allergic to rain, but I doubt that. I haven't heard of anyone, even non-humans, being allergic to rain. Well, except for this one dude who died in the arena once when the Grandmaster wept tears of joy over his victory; his skin melted like acid, and we had to scrub him off the arena floor. What's wrong? Is it because of the hole in the wall of the living room? I have no idea how it got there; maybe Thor's remodeling the cabin-"

"No he's not," Peter snapped, turning away from the two creatures. He heard the small one make some chattering noises.

"I think you're right, Miek; he seems upset with Thor for some reason."

"And so what if I'm upset with Thor? He's a-"

Peter said something that would've earned him a year of being grounded if he said it in front of his Aunt May. Miek erupted into as series of angry-sounding hisses and clicks, and Korg gasped.

"He saved us from Sakaar," the rock man said angrily. "He is our best friend and we owe him our lives! And if _anyone_ disrespects him-"

"Well, good for you," Peter said sarcastically, sitting up and facing the rock alien with red eyes. "Guess what? Thor didn't save MY BEST FRIEND! Yeah, he and the rest of you let Tony DIE, and you wonder WHY THE HELL I'M UPSET WITH THOR?!"

"Easy, mate," Korg said, holding out his hands, "we didn't _let_ anyone die! You were there; you saw how many bad guys there were and how large the battlefield was! Don't think for a _second_ that Thor or Valkyrie or Miek or I wouldn't have tried to help your friend Tony, 'cause we would have! It's not our fault!"

"But you HAVE to be at fault," Peter yelled, his voice ringing in the small space. "Because if it's not your fault, then it's MINE that he's gone!"

The silence that followed was so still, you could hear a pin drop. Peter's face grew red, and he quickly looked away from the two aliens, wrapping himself in the comforting hug of the quilt. It was the first time he actually admitted what he'd been thinking for over a month, and something broke within him, and he sank into the covers. He heard heavy footsteps in the hallway; they reminded him of Tony's footsteps whenever he was wearing the suit, which made Peter feel even more guilty.

"I had the gauntlet," Peter whispered, his voice barely audible as he stared at the bed in front of him. "I… I led Thanos _right to_ him; gave Tony a reason to fight him and use up his strength. I practically _gave_ Tony the stones. Why did I do that?" He started to cry again, but these tears were softer, more intimate than the angry ones from earlier.

The bed sank underneath the Asgardian's large bulk, and Peter felt a pair of strong arms encircle him and the hug of the quilt. At first his stiffened at the touch (because it was also wet with rain), but then he leaned back, continuing to cry as Thor held him steady, keeping him from slipping off the bed. The man's beard tickled the back of Peter's head, but he continued to cry.

"It-It's all my f-f-fault," he blubbered, wanting to disappear into the floor, ashamed he was crying in front of one of his heroes. "He-He gave up his life to save _me!_ It's _m-m-my_ fault h-he's gone. It's my fault h-he's d-d-dead…"

"No, it's not," Thor said softly, hugging the boy tightly. "It's not _your_ fault, or _any_ of our faults. Tony… Tony knew what he was doing before he used the Stones, even before you had the gauntlet. He _chose_ to give his life, so that everyone he loved and cared about could still be here today. And we both know he wouldn't want you to be upset with yourself or the people who also love and care about you."

"But I-"

"It's not your fault," the god of thunder repeated. "Keep telling yourself that. It's not your fault. Say it," he ordered gently.

"It-It's n-not my f-fault," Peter stammered. "It's not m-my f-fault."

"Good," Thor whispered, still hugging the boy as he continued to softly repeat the phrase through the tears. Korg and Miek watched the scene with a sort of awe, having never seen Thor act this soft. In the doorway, Valkyrie gave an approving smile, glad her advice was working better than the Asgardian's original plan. She'd chewed out Thor for a few minutes after Peter had ran off, and he'd listened; not just because she was older than him or the new queen of Asgard, but because she had helped him when he was upset, and he knew, deep down, he needed her help with the teen.

Eventually, the boy stopped crying, finally pulling away from the bearded man as he wiped his eyes. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but it felt good to cry.

"I… I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," Peter muttered, looking down at his hands, ashamed. "I wasn't thinking straight, and… I'm sorry. Same to you, Korg and Miek; you were both just trying to be nice to me, and I'm sorry for snapping at you both."

The buggy alien slowly walked/crawled up to the bed, patting Peter on the leg as it launched into a series of clicks and hisses. Peter couldn't understand a word of it, but he assumed by the roach's expression that he was being forgiven.

"Wow," Korg said, wiping a tear from his eye. "I think Miek speaks for both of us, Peter."

"And for me," Valkyrie added, speaking up from the doorway. "I'm glad we're all on the same page."

"Oh, can we watch a movie," Korg asked. "Miek and I wanna watch Harry Potter."

"We still have training-" the woman started.

"But it's raining outside, and-"

"Which one," Peter asked.

"The third one."

"Oh, can we," he asked excitedly, looking at the woman, his eyes still red and puffy, but a smile on his face. She sighed, cursing herself for being so soft.

"Fine," Valkyrie grumbled, and the three shot out of the room, racing to the living room.

The Valkyrie walked into Peter's room, sitting down on the bed next to Thor. "Now that's a _much_ better way of dealing with the kid."

"I know," Thor grumbled, still a little embarrassed by what he'd done earlier. "I just… didn't want him to end up like me. He was asleep for over a day, and went to his room for over three hours; you remember how I was after the Snap, right?"

Valkyrie fell silent, remembering the first few months when Thor just stayed inside, slept until two in the afternoon, then ate and drank until well after midnight. By the end of the first year after the Snap, he'd gained over 20 pounds, loosing most of his muscles, and things had only gone downhill from there. She still felt guilty for not trying harder to help him, and wondered what could have been if she'd been as firm with him then as she was with him now. However, she promised herself not to do the same with Peter, and do everything she could to help Thor help him.

"Yeah," she said softly. "Just… be careful with the kid. He's only fifteen, and you're over 1500 years old; he's much more fragile than you were when you depressed, and all of his sadness is focused on Tony Stark."

"I'll do better," Thor said, standing up heavily and walking out of the room. "Besides, I have a good friend to help me."

Valkyrie smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed while the movie's theme started playing in the living room.

* * *

**I hope you're enjoying the story so far!**

**Feel free to drop a review, and follow/favorite the story for more!**

**AN: I don't own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Nightmares and Songs:**

The next few days weren't as eventful as the first, but Peter was slowly starting to get used to life in New Asgard.

He joined Valkyrie (who went by Val) in visiting the fishing village sometimes, helping some of the locals with cleaning their nets and moving crates of fish. Everyone was pretty friendly, and they even told him stories about Asgard, Sakaar, and other distant planets as they worked, which fascinated Peter. Even though he'd been to space, he didn't exactly get to explore the galaxy at his leisure. It was pretty awesome to hear about another world so different from his own, and the people of New Asgard were happy to tell him about it.

Val, Korg, and Miek were in charge of the Asgardian Army, and worked with making sure that the Asgardians (along with the humans and Sakaar refugees that joined them) were kept in top shape and prepared for any attack that could befall the kingdom. Peter watched them train sometimes, but he didn't join in; he was still a little shaken from Thor's first attempt to attack him, so he wasn't anxious to jump back into fighting. Besides, he will admit, he was still a little scared of going back, though he would never admit it out loud. They were warriors and heroes; based on what he heard Thor say earlier, Peter had a responsibility to the planet, which added another weight to his chest.

Thor also came to the training, sitting next to Peter until it was time for him to spar with Val or any of the other recruits. Peter was amazed to watch the hero at work; even with his large belly, he still moved with purpose and power, using his weight to his advantage when he fought. The Asgardian had offered to train with Peter a few times, but Peter always said no. After the training, he'd join Korg and Miek as they played some online video game (usually a fighting one) or watched a movie. They bombarded him with questions about Earth, from geography to culture, and he did his best to keep up with answers, barely squeezing in a question of his own about space.

* * *

Even though he still had fun times with Korg and Miek in the afternoons and evenings, the hardest part of each day was going to sleep at night. He didn't tell Thor or any of the others about it, simply going to his room and lying in bed for hours until he fell asleep. That's when the nightmares started.

They all started the same way; he was at Stark Tower, trying out his new suit against some practice drones that Tony had made him. Peter flew across the room, easily taking down the robots with his shooters, kicking one squarely in the chest.

"Good job, kid," a oice said from behind him. Peter turned to find Thanos standing there, towering over the boy. Suddenly, they were back at the battlefield, the smoking wreckage of the Avenger's Compound strewn around them. Peter was in his Iron Spider suit, which was broken and scratched.

The Titan gave the Peter a dark grin. "Thanks for your help," he said, but it wasn't Thanos' voice that spoke.

It was Tony's.

Peter whirled around to face the demolished robots, seeing that they were now replaced with Tony's body, Pepper crying her eyes out over his corpse. A trickle of blood ran down Tony's face, and his eyes were blank and staring. Staring straight into Peter's eyes.

As if to say-

"It's all you're fault, kid."

Then Peter would wake up, covered with sweat and shaking so bad he would sometimes find himself lying on the ground instead of his bed. Fortunately, he never screamed in his sleep, so not even Aunt May knew about the nightmares. When he woke up, he would just lie in his bed (or on the floor, if he fell off in his sleep), shaking until his body forced him to fall asleep around three or four in the morning. On average, he now got about four to five hours of sleep every night.

The dreams didn't stop during his first week at Thor's cabin. Everyone else assumed that the tiredness came from the depression (well, _part_ of it did) so they dismissed the teen's constant yawning and lack of motivation. Peter just ate a lot at breakfast to compensate for the lack of energy, and tried to do his best to not fall asleep; no matter how tired he was (though he fell asleep during some of the movies and games with Korg and Miek).

One night, about a week after he first arrived, he woke up from the nightmare, finding himself on the bedroom floor by the window. He was twisted in the sheets, struggling to break free when the bedroom light suddenly turned on, blinding him.

"M-Mr. Thor?" Peter blinked at the sudden light, staring at a large shadow that slowly morphed into the Norse god.

Thor stood there in a bathrobe, which was small on him, and his hair was a mess. The guy looked tired, and his hands were shaking a little; Peter figured he'd just woken up out of bed.

"Are you OK," he asked, looking around the room. "Is there an assailant?" He held up his hand, presumably to call his magic axe.

"No no no," the boy said quickly, his heart rate starting to decline. "I'm fine; just woke up on the floor and freaked out for a second. Sorry if I woke you up."

"No, no, it's fine," Thor grumbled. "Why were you on the floor?"

Peter froze, hoping the god couldn't see his terrified expression. "W-W-What?"

"You said you were on the floor when you woke up, and you're there now. Do you make a habit of sleeping on the floor?"

_Crap_, Peter thought, not sure he was gonna spin this. "No, I… I fell off. In my sleep."

He could see the Norse god nodding at his vague answer. "Oh… OK." Peter, thinking it was over, stood up, starting to put his blankets on the bed when Thor spoke again. "Why did you fall off your bed while you slept?"

"I just fell off, OK?" Peter turned back to face the Asgardian, who was now giving him a look his Aunt often gave him; it was one of concern and that special expression that only appeared when they sensed lying. "And I'm _not_ lying!"

"I never said you were," the man said evenly.

"Then stop looking at me like you think I am!"

Thor held up his hands in defeat. "Fine," he said gruffly. "You just fell off your bed in your sleep. That happens all the time."

Peter balled his fists. "Why do you care? I know you were all supportive that one time a week ago, but I'm fine now!" It shocked Peter how easily the lie came, and he felt a thrill of fear run up his spine.

"No you're not," Thor said softly; no, not said, _stated_. "Usually, when _I_ wake up after I've fallen off the bed, it's because I've had a bad nightmare. They're not fun, are they?"

Peter stared in shock at the god. Even with the weight gain, he seemed so strong (yet goofy at times), he didn't seem like the type of guy who'd _ever_ get nightmares. Then, he looked down at his feet, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Yeah… not fun at all." _That wasn't admitting he had nightmares_, he thought; just stating that nightmares weren't fun.

The two were silent for a few moments, then-

"Mine started a short time after the Snap. Do you know what happened right before that?" Peter shook his head, still looking at the floor. "Right before that, I ended up on Sakaar, found Bruce, who'd been missing for years, met Val, Korg, and Miek, and fought my evil sister, loosing my eye in the process." The teen looked up in surprise, never realizing that one of the eyes might be fake; he just assumed Thor had that cool multicolored eye disease.

"Shortly after, Asgard was destroyed, Thanos killed half of the survivors and Loki, and of course… you know what happened next. Half of everyone. Gone." Thor gave a large sigh, his beard rippling slightly. "I… I was the last to fight Thanos, and I nearly killed him. He snapped the Gauntlet right in front of me before disappearing. And then everyone started disappearing …"

Peter continued to watch as the Asgardian soberly told his tale. He had no idea how close Thor was to stopping Thanos the first time; all Peter knew from the story was that Thanos Snapped everyone away, then Tony brought everyone back five years later after using time travel to get the stones. It was interesting to hear more detailed information about what happened.

"Everyone that survived took the defeat hard, but none as tough as Stark and I. At least with Tony, he had Pepper, whom he married, and of course their daughter, Morgan. I didn't have anyone like that, and the people of Asgard and the refugees were reduced from several thousand to a little less than a hundred."

"Stop," Peter said, not wanting to hear any more about how bad things were. How had he not figured it out before; the empty beer bottles, the weight gain between the last time he'd seen Thor before the snap, how Val, Korg, and Miek often came over to check on Thor. He looked back down at his feet. "You… you don't have to tell me this."

"But I'm _choosing_ to," Thor said firmly, walking over and sitting down on the bed next to Peter, the bed groaning under the additional weight.

"I lost myself, during those five years. I was no longer Thor Odinson, Vanquisher of Foes. I didn't know _who_ I was, and it was a physical pain that couldn't go away. So instead of moving on, I started to numb the pain. Most days, when I _could_ sleep, I wasn't up until three in the afternoon. I started drinking more; it seemed to be the only thing I could do right that didn't hurt my head, and I started spending time with Korg and Miek, who just wanted to relax after years of fighting death battles on Sakaar. Of course, five years of living that certain lifestyle take their toll," he said, staring at his large belly. "When Hulk and Rabbit came to for my help in bringing everyone back, they barely recognized me. It was a miracle I was able to pull myself together in time to fight Thanos again."

The man looked sadly at Peter. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss Stark or anyone else that we've lost. It's normal to miss them. But it is when you start to let those negative emotions control your life that you have a problem. You can't give into the pain; you've gotta fight it. I've noticed how tired you've been the past week, and judging by the fact that you're up this late, I know that tonight isn't the first time you've woken up on the floor in the middle of the night."

Peter looked down at his feet, unable to meet the god's multicolored eyes. "Is it that obvious," he asked softly.

"You're covered with sweat," the thunder god pointed out, "and you were extra jumpy; more than usual."

"I'm not jumpy," Peter said, realizing how high pitched his voice was and how quickly he responded. He sighed. "Guess I just confirmed your suspicions, huh?"

"Kinda," Thor chuckled.

Peter sighed again. "I know I'm not an ideal warrior or soldier and sometimes… I don't even feel like an Avenger. I'm just a kid from Queens who can barely juggle high school with being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I don't know if I can be the Avenger, or even the hero, that everyone expects me to be. And… it's even harder without Mr. Stark."

"You see him in your dreams, don't you," Thor asked softly, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. The teen wasn't planning on talking about his nightmares, but something in the Asgardian's tone made him feel like it was safe to talk about.

Still unable to look at his hero, he told Thor about his nightmare; how they started shortly after the Funeral, how he hadn't told anyone (not even Aunt May or his best friend Ned), and how he sometimes drank extra soda every day just so he would have enough energy to last throughout the day. Some nights, it was so bad, he woke up crying silently, wiping his tears on the sheets as he tried in vain to fall back asleep. Every night, however, was a struggle just to go back to sleep, the memories of the nightmares fresh in his mind.

While he talked, Thor remained silent; Peter still couldn't meet his eyes, so he wasn't sure how the god of Thunder was reacting to his story. The teen was embarrassed; he didn't want the former King of Asgard to think of him like this, and once again, wished that he could've gotten to know his favorite Avenger _any_ other way than this. But by now, he'd resigned himself to the pattern of being embarrassed in front of people whose opinion he most valued.

When he finished, there was silence, save for the distant roll of the ocean waves. Peter curled up his legs, putting his head between his knees, waiting for the Avenger to say something. Finally, he asked-

"Why haven't you told anyone else about this nightmare? This is pretty serious, and it is not good to keep this to yourself for so long."

Peter finally looked up, saw Thor looking at him with some concern, then lowered his head again. "Because I didn't wanna worry anyone. Everyone I know was Snapped away; Aunt May's trying to make ends meet for us, and Ned has to deal with his younger sister suddenly being five years older than when he last saw her. Everyone's dealing with so much, I don't want to add to their unhappiness and stress. The only person that seems OK with all this chaos is MJ, but I'm haven't told-."

"Who's he?"

"She's a she, and she's this girl from my school I kinda like," he said quickly, glad his lowered head was hiding his red face. He hadn't even told Aunt May about his crush on MJ, scared of how she'd react, remembering how she'd sworn she'd prevent him from dating when she learned Liz's dad was the Vulture.

"This MJ… Have you told her how you feel?"

"No way! She doesn't even know I'm Spider-Man!"

"Well, you do you, young Parkerson," Thor said, giving the boy a quick pat on the back before standing up, heading towards the door. "Try to get some sleep."

"No promises," Peter said grimly, lying down on his bed.

The Asgardian froze just outside the doorway, turning back to the boy. "You're not gonna fall asleep, are you?"

Peter sighed. "Yep. So unless you've got some sorta Asgardian magic sleeping spell, I'll just lie here for the next couple hours until my body forces itself to fall asleep."

The god of Thunder looked at him for a few moments, his face unreadable, before walking back into the room, pulling the stool next to Peter's bed, then sitting down.

"Wait," Peter said, sitting up slightly, "do you _actually_-"

"Lie down and stay silent," Thor ordered, and Peter quickly did so, excited to hear what a real spell sounded like. He didn't believe in magic (not completely),but he waited with bated breath for a few seconds, waiting for something to happen. When Thor finally spoke, however, the boy's mouth dropped open because he wasn't saying a spell, or even talking.

He was singing.

Peter's gaped at the ceiling; this was the last thing he expected the hero to do, and was about to ask what happened when he realized…

Thor was a good singer.

Like, _really_ good.

His voice was deep and low, but soothing, like one of those folk singers Aunt May liked to listen to. What he sang about was even more beautiful. It wasn't in English, but for some reason, Peter understood what Thor was singing about. It was about his home, Asgard. Peter closed his eyes, almost seeing the place in his mind's eye; the rolling fields surrounding the golden buildings, the sky full of stars, even during the day; the creatures and birds that wandered peacefully in the parks, the way the wind blew in the trees, sounding like sweet music...

* * *

After a few minutes, Thor stopped singing and looked down at the sleeping teen, who'd passed out a few lyrics into the song. It wasn't a magic song, in a way; it was just what his mother used to sing to him when he was a boy back on Asgard. The god of Thunder stood up, taking one last look at Peter before leaving the room, turning off the hallway light as he walked into his own bedroom.

Sliding underneath the covers, he fumbled with his phone, pressing the play button. His own voice, singing the same song from a minute ago, played back to him. Thor closed his eyes, and if he focused hard enough…

He could hear his mother singing him to sleep.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter! **

**This chapter is based of that video of Chris Hemsworth playing guitar and singing in his Bro Thor getup. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Favorite and follow if you want notifications of future chapters, and feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapters! Have a great day!**

**-aggiefrogger**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, Readers!**

**Sorry for the long wait! I've been working on school and other FFs, but here's Chapter Five!**

**Enjoy!**

**-aggiefrogger**

* * *

**Training and Sandwiches**

"We still have to do something, Thor."

"What do you mean, Valkyrie," he replied, washing the dishes in the sink. "Parkerson's doing a lot better, and he's not having as many nightmares anymore. I mean, listen to him!"

The two Asgardians paused in their work, listening to Peter, Korg, and Miek singing along to _Mamma Mia_ as it played on the TV. Their voices weren't the best, but they still laughed as they sang along with the movie. It was four days after Thor's late night talk with Peter, and they had started making more progress in getting the teen to open up about his depression.

"I know it's good that he's becoming happier, but he still refuses to spar or fight with anyone. Whether he likes it or not, he is one of very few heroes left on this planet, and he needs to step up to the task."

"But whenever I ask him if he wants to train, he refuses," Thor said, turning off the sink faucet. "Besides, whenever I've gone into his room, his suit and web shooters are pushed off to the side. He's starting to accept that Stark's death wasn't his fault, but he's seemed to lost the nerve to fight. It is as if he's afraid to fight again."

"That sounds familiar," Val muttered sarcastically, earning her a glare from the god of thunder.

"Hey! I'm doing my best," Thor huffed indignantly. "But if there's something else I should be doing, _your Highness,_ please tell me!"

_"'__Your Highness,'_" Val repeated, smiling a little. "I like it, though I still need some time to get used to it! But the answer's simple: you have to slowly get him back into training, but do so in a way that doesn't seem like you're forcing him. Don't rush him into it like you did a while ago; start slowly, and if he says no, be kind and understanding, but firm with him. Did Odin ever have to give you a pep talk before fighting or training?"

Thor scratched his beard, which was a new habit of his, but it was better than drinking or overeating. "I think I recall some… but what if Peter still refuses to fight?"

"_Then_ you can use lightning."

"Really?"

"No. Send him to me, and I'll get through to him."

"_Fine,_" Thor conceded, finishing the dishes as a screechy yet passionate rendition of "Dancing Queen" sounded from the living room.

* * *

Peter was a little intimidated when Thor asked him the next morning to join him on a walk; the teen knew it was just code for another talk, but he had no idea what it had to be about. He was starting to feel better for the first time in over a month, so he wondered what the Avenger wanted to discuss with him.

They left after breakfast, the god of Thunder carrying a backpack with him as they started to climb one of the nearby hills. Of course, the island they were on was covered with hills, and they climbed several before finally reaching one with a pretty impressive view of not just the island, but also the ocean stretching out around them. It was a clear day, and a warm one too; a slight breeze ruffled their hair, but it wasn't strong enough to make either of them shiver. Thor sat down on a nearby rock, staring out at the view, and after a while, Peter followed suit, figuring that the man was tired. They sat there for a few minutes before the Asgardian finally spoke up.

"So," he started, wearing a pair of sunglasses to block out the brilliant rays of the sun, "have you been enjoying your time here on New Asgard?"

"Y-Yeah," Peter stammered, scratching the back of his head. "It's a nice place. A lot of sun and…" He looked around at the hills beneath them. "Grass."

The bearded man nodded. "Yes. This is a wonderful land for my people and the Sakaarian refugees to rebuild upon." He was silent again for a few moments before adding, "This is where my father died."

Peter gave him a quick glance of surprise, suddenly not liking the direction that this talk was going.

"Yep," Thor continued, scratching his beard, "before the whole thing with my sister Hela, this was where Odin died. It was also here that Mjolnir was destroyed, and I saw this place in the vision where I realized that my powers came from within. So when our ship of survivors came to Earth, this was the number one choice for our new home."

"I… I'm sorry about your dad," the teen started to say.

"Do not worry yourself, Parkerson," the Asgardian assured him. "He had lived a long and noble life; he is now reaping his great reward."

"So you brought me up here to talk about dead father figures," Peter asked, slightly annoyed. "Well, I have three of them that have died, so-"

"Of course not," Thor said, reaching into the pack next to him. "We're going to train." He held up Peter's web shooters, along with his mask.

The teen flinched, taking a small step back from the Asgardian, staring at the mask, the mask that Tony had made for him. "Wha- What do you mean?"

"Peter," the Norse god started (the boy noticed that he called him by his first name), "I know… I know that you miss Tony, and that these were made by him for you. I also know that you've purposefully avoided using his gift to you for the betterment of humankind. Know I understand," he continued, holding up a hand when the boy tried to interrupt, "that you may have had feelings of guilt, fear, or regret when it comes to fighting, but you must understand something; this world of yours will always be full of bad people, and especially where you live in your City of New York. You have not been out fighting criminals since the Battle."

The last part was a statement, not a question, and Peter had a feeling that the hetero-chromatic hero already knew why he hadn't gone out web slinging since Tony's death. The teen was still nervous about going back to battle, but he figured that he would have to eventually; heroes rarely got time off. Slowly, he reached out, grabbing the mask, running the material through his fingers.

"So… are you going to help me get back to fighting, I guess," he asked.

Thor nodded. "Yes."

"Well, no offence, but there aren't any tall buildings around here for me to swing from, and that's kinda my forte."

The Asgardian held out his hand, and a few seconds later, he caught Stormbringer, which cackled with electricity.

"Who said we were training _here,_" he asked, giving the teen a small grin.

* * *

"So," Peter started, fiddling with the web shooters around his wrists, staring out at the towering pillars of rocks around him, "_this_ is Jotunheim?"

"Yep," Thor said, the giant axe still in his grasp. "Home of the giants, but there aren't any around here. These rocks are known as the Rocks of Aegir."

Each pillar was about as wide and as tall as a skyscraper, and the stretched out for miles around them, creating a maze of rocks. It was fun, traveling along the Bifrost, and Thor said that it was rare that mortals could travel that way, but the teen had managed not to throw up. Of course, Peter had heard of the legendary realm of the giants in myths, and couldn't help but gape at the towering rocks around him.

"So what should I do," he asked, looking up at the nearest rock pillar. "Are there any creatures for me to fight?"

"No, I thought that we should start small; just swing around these rocks and get used to the feeling again."

Peter nodded, tentatively raising his arm and shooting out a web line at the nearest rock. Taking a deep breath, he launched himself into the air, pulling himself towards the rock. He easily stuck to the rocky surface, now a good forty yards off the ground. Before he could loose his nerve, he shot out another web, swinging between two pillars.

That familiar feeling of weightlessness, along with the exhilaration, returned to the teen, and he quickly got back into his old groove; he swung between the rocks, no location in mind, but just loosing himself in the motion. He even did a few flips, and remembered how fun just flying through the air was.

Eventually, Peter made his way back towards the Asgardian, landing a few feet away from him.

"Was that good," the teen asked.

"How should I know," Thor asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "You're the expert."

"I… It felt good," he replied, "I will admit. Not too hard to get back into the old groove."

"Excellent! Now comes the fun part!" The man casually walked over to one of the many rocks that sat nearby; each rock was the size of a bowling ball, picked it up, and tossed it in the air before catching it. "Ever heard of an Earth game called dodge ball?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'd start swinging if I were you," the god of thunder said, the boulder starting to cackle with lightning. Seeing it as his cue to book it, Peter quickly made his way back towards the pillar forest, swinging into the air.

Thor could fly, and apparently, he was pretty fast. Nearly ten seconds after he left, his spidey-sense (which he hoped wasn't acting up), alerted him, and he swung out of the way at the last minute, avoiding the rock as it smashed into the rock formation a few feet from him. He knew that the Avenger wouldn't hurt him, but it was still nerve-wracking, trying his best to avoid the projectiles.

Eventually, after ten minutes, Thor ran out of rocks, and the two launched into another exercise; the Asgardian blindfolded the teen, and summoned harmless lightning strikes to hit the teen. Peter had to sense when they were coming and leap out of the way, which was hard, even with his sixth sense. He ended up with a few shocks, but nothing deadly or harmful. After that, they went back swinging, racing the Avenger through the rocky pillars.

After two hours, the teen was tired out, and fortunately, the god of thunder felt the same way. Summoning the Bifrost, they shot back to New Asgard, made some sandwiches at the cabin (apparently the Norse god had almost every sandwich topping in existence), then sat on the roof, staring out at the scenery as they ate their lunch.

"If I'm going too fast with the training, let me know," Thor suddenly spoke up.

Peter paused mid-bite, but swallowed his PB&J. "Oh… okay."

"It's just Val told me not to rush you and-"

"You're doing fine," the teen reassured him. "I'm just lucky I didn't die yet!"

"Not on my watch," the Asgardian grinned at him, taking another bite of his own sandwich. "Do you still find this place enjoyable?"

"Yeah; kinda hard to believe that the rest of the world exists." He looked out over the rolling hills, staring at the sea in the distance. "My Aunt May… I haven't talked to or seen her in weeks."

D'you miss her? You can call her if you wan-"

"No no no," the teen said quickly. "It's just… I didn't exactly leave on happy terms with her." He looked down at his feet. "I kinda got mad at her, to be honest."

The man gave him a sad look. "I mean, now that I know that Strange brought you here unwillingly, I can't imagine you not being upset with her. I assume… you're feeling guilty about what you said to her?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, but I wanna make sure that I'm not that depressed version of me when I see her again. She… she tried so hard to get me to go back to being myself, but failed. It's almost kinda sad, that I listened to you more than I listened to her. But don't worry," he assured the Avenger, "I… I'm gonna be an Avenger; make her proud."

Thor gave him a small smile. "Good to hear, Parkerson."

"Hey, why do you call people by their last name?"

"It's a term of respect; first names are common, but last names hold millennia of history and culture in their letters. Parkerson. Son of Parker. It does have a good ring to it, no?"

"Yeah," the teen nodded, turning back to his sandwich, knowing that he was ready for the next training session, determined to succeed. He gave a small smile. "It does."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the read!**

**Kinda short, I know, but there's gonna be more training with the next chapter; I thought I'd start it out slow, like Thor's doing with Peter's training.**

**Follow, Favorite, and drop a review if you want to!**

**Also, I do NOT own Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Norse Mythology, sandwiches or Marvel in ANY way, shape or form.**

**Have a great day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, Readers! I apologize for the long wait; Finals start this Friday, and I've been busy working on my other FFs in my free time.**

**Here's Chapter Six. Peter, of course, is growing in confidence, and Thor think he's ready for the next step of his re-training. Let's hope it turns out well!**

**Enjoy the chapter, and leave a review if you like it!**

**Also, a certain friend of Peter will be making an appearance in the next chapter!**

* * *

**P****egasai, ****T****raining, and Sudden Delusions:**

For the next few days, Thor worked with Peter on getting back into the swing of things (pun intended), slowly but surely working up to harder and harder exercises. They traveled to the rock place in Jotunheim every day, with an hour break for lunch back on New Asgard. Peter noticed that the three week period that he was supposed to be here had passed, but didn't complain; he was doing better than ever since Tony's death, and he still resolved to be the best Avenger/superhero he could be by the time he went back to New York.

He _did_ email his Aunt May a few times, telling her that he was fine, but didn't go much into details about his interior life. She replied; she said that she'd found a better job, and was currently in the process of helping people displaced by the Blip find jobs and homes. Though he couldn't see her, he could sense the sadness in her words. She asked him if he wanted to stay for two or three more weeks, and he said yes, determined to be back to his normal self before going back; besides, while he liked school, he liked having a break from classes.

Valkyrie was helpful as well. A few times, she worked with Peter on hand-to-hand combat, and even let him help her tend to a Pegasus flock that had settled on the other end of the island. Intimidating at first, the teen quickly realized how kind the creatures were, nuzzling his head and blowing his hair back with their wings. One in particular was close with the boy, and Peter recognized that it was the Pegasus that Val had ridden into the Battle. It didn't have a name, so the boy called him Stan, since it seemed like a fitting name for the noble creature, and Peter often fed him some special Asgardian apples that the Valkyrie gave him.

All in all, life was good; Peter wasn't having nightmares every night, he was starting to become his old self again, and for the first time in a while, he was happy.

* * *

One day, Peter finally consented to go down to the New Asgard Training Facility.

"Do you think I'm ready," he asked the Asgardian.

"You are," Thor assured him, giving him a warm smile. "Besides, there is only so much I can teach you; you need practice against others." The thunder god wasn't able to stay (something about going to Texas for some reason), but he walked Peter to the facility, telling him about how some country called Wakanda had helped fund and build the building, as well as encouraging the boy to try his best.

When they got to the large open-air training grounds, Val was working with several humans and Sakaaran refugees on sparring, pairing them off and having them fight one another. Apparently, they had learned enough to use actual weapons (though no maiming or killing was allowed), and they were doing it like a tournament, where pairs would fight, and the winners would fight each other until one remained. Peter felt a little out of it, seeing as how everyone there knew each other, but there was at least one comfort to the teen.

"It's been a while," Karen said, her voice echoing in the boy's mask; he was wearing his full super suit, since the place was still open to the world, and he had a secret identity too keep. "But I am still fully equipped to help you in any way I can."

"Thanks, Karen," the teen said gratefully, walking over to Val, who was standing at a hologram of a tournament bracket.

"Should I scan for possible opponent weaknesses?"

"Yeah."

Eventually, he had his first spar fight against an alien called a Gramosion; it looked humanoid, but had bluish-black skin, and could discharge energy from its hands that reminded the boy of the Shocker. He was a fierce competitor, and the teen had his work cut out for him. However, Peter was able to avoid most of the blasts, and finally took him down, webbing his arms and knocking him out of the large ring they were fighting in. It felt good winning, and he noticed Korg and Meek giving him a thumbs up from the sideline as they waited for their next fight.

Slowly, Peter moved up through the brackets; given the number of soldiers-in-training, it was going to take several hours. It was pretty cool, and a nerd's dream; there were alien species from a large variety of countries, which were all captives on Sakaar, and he was able to talk to them between matches, since they all had universal translators. Most were pretty nice, and wondered why Peter was dressed up the way he was, since they didn't have superheroes on their planets, and had never even heard of the Avengers. They were also surprised that someone so young could fight as well as him, and some seemed to sense that the boy had seen war as well (which Peter refused to acknowledge). It was also interesting to see humans and aliens cooperating and hanging out; it was something out of a science-fiction movie, but it was real.

Whenever he fought, he managed to do well without any nearby windows or buildings to swing from, which was great preparation if he ever ended up fighting a bad guy in a cornfield in Nebraska. While the fights were supposed to be harmless and not maiming, several soldiers got carted off to the medical bay, cradling broken limbs as the victors howled in triumph. Peter sensed that they weren't going easy on him, but he still beat them, making his way towards the center of the brackets.

By the time they reached the semi-finals, Peter had made it with three other aliens, one of which was a hulking 28-foot mass of power that vaguely reminded him of a dragon. Naturally, he was slated to fight against this soldier, but if he won, then he could easily take out whoever won the other match.

"Any weaknesses," he asked Karen, watching the huge green and blue creature take a few practice swings with a large sword that hummed with energy.

"Slight weakness on his right leg," she replied, highlighting the area for the boy to see. "Possibly an old injury. Plus, he seems left-handed, so I suggest staying to the right."

"Thanks, Karen." He walked into the ring just as the other alien walked in.

"I'll make this quick," the alien grumbled, hefting his sword.

"So will I," Peter replied, crouching down, ready to move like a coiled spring. Around them, the majority of the New Asgardian army watched, along with Val, Korg and Meek.

The alien moved first, swinging his sword towards the teen, who leaped into the air, flying over the alien and landing on his shoulder, kicking forward and knocking the creature off balance. It stumbled forward, and Peter stared to web up the foe's right leg, immobilizing it so it couldn't bend its knee. Growling in frustration, the alien turned around, swinging his sword while Peter ducked away at the last minute, the humming blade inches from his face.

_This may be easier than I thought, the teen thought to himself,_ darting around the edge of the circle. _He may be strong, but he's pretty slow, and that sword's too big to do any damage to me, even if it's-_

Something grabbed his leg, swinging him through the air and slamming him onto the mat, the air leaving his lungs in one big _WHOOSH!_ A few of the observers winced, but some cheered, wondering who would win.

Peter, trying to catch his breath, saw the creature towering over him, sword raised.

"You're about to be crushed," it said, giving him a sinister grin. "Like a worthless insect!"

_Insect._

Suddenly, it wasn't a green alien that stood above him, but a purple one, choking him and keeping him from breathing. He was no longer in the training facility, but on Titan, the orange sky and setting around him making him nauseous. Trying to take in a breath, Peter started to panic when he wasn't getting enough air.

"Insect," Thanos repeated, grinning evilly at him as he raised his fist, gauntlet gleaming in the light of a nearby star.

"NO," the boy cried, pushing himself up with all of his might, knocking back the Titan's hand and tackling him to the ground. He slammed a fist into the Titan's head, knocking his head to the side, knocking him unconscious, but it wasn't enough; it was another trick, it _had_ to be.

Screaming, Peter rained down his fists repeatedly on Thanos, determined to bash the villain's skull in. With each punch, he thought of Tony, bleeding and dying in Pepper's arms, and it pushed him to go further. Karen was yelling something in his ears, but the teen ignored her, and the purple monster was whimpering for some reason, but the teen didn't relent. He kept hitting, and hitting, and hitting, and hit-

He was suddenly yanked back off of the alien, falling on his back, and for a moment, he thought that that horde of an army had come for him.

"LET GO," he yelled, trying to wriggle free. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"Peter! Calm down it's us!"

Suddenly, Titan was gone, the orange sky replaced with a blue one. The creatures that had come for him suddenly came into focus, like a camera lens adjusting to sudden light, and he saw the frightened face of Valkyrie hovering over him, Korg's next to her.

"Peter," Korg was saying. "Calm down, mate! He's already lost!"

The teen was confused, to say the least, wondering how he was suddenly back on Earth, when it clicked in his mind. Thanos had nearly killed him on Titan over five years ago; it was just a memory, not real. But it felt so real, as if he were actually trying to kill Thanos, that-

He sat up, startling Val, Korg and Meek, who sat nearby. Looking around, still breathing heavily, his eyes finally landed on the alien he was fighting, his heart seeming to stop.

The alien lay on the ground, barely breathing. Dark brown blood leaked from it's green, scaly skin, and it's arm was twisted an an unnatural angle. The sword lay nearby, the blade no longer humming and broken in half.

As shocking as this all was, Peter didn't put all the pieces together and saw his hands, covered in brown and red blood, his gloves nearly shredded.

"Peter your heart rate is skyrocketing," Karen spoke up. "And you're showing all the symptoms of a Post-"

The teen scrambled to his feet, the voice seeming like a distant echo. Staring around, all of the other alien and human soldiers-in-training were staring at him in shock and fear, a few even taking a few steps back, wary of getting attacked. He looked down at his hands again, still covered in the alien's blood.

" … No," he muttered, the open gym suddenly seeming too stuffy for him. He lurched off the mat, several soldiers scrambling away from him, and somehow he war running. He didn't know where. He didn't know why.

But he ran.

* * *

They found him in the showers.

At first, they'd thought he'd run back to the cabin or somewhere in the surrounding hills, but ran into Thor, who'd come back from his meeting with Nick Fury and Maria Hill. One look at their faces, and he knew something had happened, and he took off into the sky, flying first to his home, then around the hills, searching for any sign of the teen. Eventually, they decided to retrace their steps, and a timid Guna came up to them, telling them that they'd seen the human in the men's locker room.

Peter was in one of the stalls, sitting on the tile ground in his super suit as the water rained down on him. By now, most of the blood had been washed away, but his sleeves were still stained, along with parts of the tile around him. He'd taken his mask off (since he'd stopped by a toilet to throw up), and his eyes were red and puffy. His hands weren't shaking as bad as they were earlier, but they still trembled every once in a while.

Thor had been told what had happened (the Makluan that Peter had nearly killed survived, but would be out of it for a week; they were a strong species, and it would've taken ten Peters in order to kill him), and slowly approached the stall, the sound of water echoing on the tiles. When he looked in, Peter simply looked up at him, his face the definition of dispair. The teen opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, so he closed it, another shudder running through his body.

The Norse god said nothing, but leaned over and turned off the water. Then, he reached down, helping the boy to his feet and wrapping his own cloak around the trembling shoulders. With a protective arm around Peter's shoulders, he led the sniffling boy out of the facility, heading towards the cabin.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! **

**I know Peter started to do better, but I figured he would relapse at some point, since he definitely has shown some symptoms of PTSD (the "insect" comment is from _Infinity War_), and I even hinted at it in the title. Don't worry; I assure you this story will have a happy ending (with the help of the Guy in the Chair)!**

**Favorite and follow if you want more, and feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the story! Thank you all for the continued support I have received with this story, and I will try to get the next chapter out for you all as soon as possible! **

**Have a great day!**

**Note: The alien species mentioned in this story are ones from the Marvel Universe. Not all of them are seen in the MCU, but appear in the comics.  
**

**Further Note: I do NOT own Marvel, or any of their characters, in ANY way, shape or form!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone!**

**Sorry for the short hiatus; it took me a while to come up with ideas for this next chapter, so I'm splitting it up. Here's Part 1, which I wanted to post before the Holidays and New Years. Hope it was worth the wait!**

**Enjoy! Ned's finally making an appearance!**

* * *

**The Guy in the Chair: Part 1**

**Ned POV:**

Ned Leeds had no idea why he was being called to the office from his Advanced Programming class, but he followed the hall monitor down the hall, trying not to look at Peter's locker as they passed it.

Peter had gone all Carmen Sandiego on him about a month ago; not that they had talked much after the Blip. He hadn't said anything about the final battle against Thanos, and seemed to detach himself from everything he used to do; he'd quit the science club, kept to himself in classes, and Ned couldn't remember the last time that they'd had a conversation that lasted longer than a minute.

And then he didn't come to school one day. It wasn't suspicious at first; perhaps he was sick with the flu, but after three days of not hearing anything or getting an answer to his texts, he decided to check up on Peter, but was told by Aunt May that he was "out of town." This was especially suspicious, since May knew that Ned knew about Peter's secret identity, so if he was gone on hero business, then she would have told him. May seemed upset when she answered the door, but he got nothing else out of her. Of course, the last time Peter left suddenly, he ended up on another planet, was wiped from existence, and then brought back in time to fight in an all-out battle against an alien army.

He pushed these thoughts aside as he followed the teacher towards the front office, leading him past the reception and towards one of the conference rooms. Giving the teacher a questioning look, she merely opened the door for him, and he walked into the room.

Two men sat at the table, waiting for him. One of them wore an over-sized hoodie, sunglasses (though they were inside), and had a large, wild beard. With the finger-less gloves on his hands, he looked like a homeless person. Ned didn't recognize him, but he recognized the other man, who wore a plain suit and had slight curls in his hair.

"Mr. Hogan!"

Happy nodded, indicating to the seat across the table from them. "Mr. Leeds." Ned quickly sat down, and the teacher (who had no idea why someone from the Tony Stark Foundation wanted to meet with a student) shut the door behind her.

"Where's Peter," Ned instantly asked. "Is he on a mission? Why couldn't he or May tell me-"

"Calm down," the former assistant of Tony Stark said, holding up his hand. "A few introductions need to made first." He turned to the grungy-looking man next to him. "This is Peter's best friend, Ned Leeds."

The large man turned towards the teen, seeming to survey him from behind the glasses. There was something familiar about him, but Ned couldn't quite put his finger on it. That is, until the man took off his glasses, revealing a weathered face that almost looked tired, and one blue eye, the other hazel. Of course, having seen the news reports on the aftermath of the Battle, Ned opened his mouth to give a gasp of recognition when Happy cut him off with a warning glance; it would probably be unwise to alert the school that an Avenger was in the building.

"And I assume you recognize Thor here."

"Nice to meet you," the god of thunder said kindly, offering a hand to shake, and the teen shook it, still looking at the Avenger in awe. "Peter has spoken of you many times; it is rare to find a friend as noble and loyal as he describes you."

"Th-Th-Thanks," the teen stammered, shocked that the hero knew so much about him.

"Excuse me," the exasperated ex-assistant spoke up, "we really need to get back to the subject at hand, and you two can chit-chat as much as you want afterwards."

"And what _is_ the subject," Ned asked, turning back to Happy, though he couldn't sit normally knowing that he'd finally met another Avenger (he'd met Tony Stark a few months before the Snap). "Do you know where Peter is?"

"Peter has been with me on New Asgard these past few weeks," the Asgardian spoke up. "His aunt sent him to stay with me in hopes that I could help him get out of his…" He looked over at Happy. "What do you humans call it?"

"Funk?" Happy suggested.

"No; that sounds too bright. It's… it's-"

"Depression," Ned spoke up.

"That's it!" The hero's face fell. "He… he hasn't been in a good place since Tony died. He blamed himself for Stark's death, and wanted to distance himself from everyone while he grieved."

Ned stared at the hero in shock. After weeks of worrying that his only friend was risking his life somewhere in the universe, maybe even dead, he wasn't expecting to hear that the teen had been hanging out with an overweight hero in Norway. " … What?"

"May called me," Happy explained, "and told me about his situation. Most of the other Avengers were busy, and the last thing Pepper needed was a reminder of her husband. Strange suggested asking Thor, and he said yes. Peter wasn't supposed to be gone for this long, but he… he kind of relapsed, I should say."

"'_Relapsed?'"_

"It means-"

"I know what it means," the teen replied, still trying to wrap his mind around all of this new information. He turned to Thor. "Were… were you helping him?"

The man nodded. "Val, Korg, Miek and I have been helping him come to terms with what happened, since we were at the Battle as well, and even slowly working him back towards being a superhero again-"

"You want him to go back to fighting crime? After what just happened to him and half of the universe?" Ned looked down at the grains in the wood, feeling a growing sense of anger for some reason.

He could sense the two men exchanging uncomfortable glaces before Happy spoke up. "Look, whether we like it or not, most of our heroes are doing clean-up work around the universe, and Captain America's not even in this decade anymore! People all over the planet are trying to process what had happened, and they need something familiar that can give them hope again."

"You weren't Dusted," the teen spoke up, the anger still growing in his chest. "What do you know about what people need right now? You didn't loose five years of your life! You didn't loose five years of memories and birthdays and watching your sisters grow and graduate from college or move from elementary to middle school!"

"Ned-"

"Don't talk to me like I don't know _anything_ about Peter Parker! I know exactly who he is; he's a superhero, an Avenger, but before all of that, he's my_ best friend!_ You don't even have to _say_ anything; I know why you're here now. You've messed up, and now you need me to come and… what, convince him to start fighting crime again? Maybe he doesn't _want _to fight crime! Did you think of _that?_ Maybe he just wants to be a normal teen again and hang out with his friends! You know he _has_ friends, right? Me and MJ! We went through the same crap he did, and you just wanna throw him back into it?!"

The teen slammed a fist on the table, looking down at the grain in the wood. He and Peter had been friends since _middle school,_ and while he'd never say it, Peter was like the brother he never had and secretly craved in a household with four sisters. He and Peter were both losers and outcasts, too smart for most of their peers to be understood, and too young to be taken seriously by most adults. Even when Peter became a superhero, he'd stayed the same old Peter Parker instead of ditching Ned to find better friends. If anything, he'd included him in his superhero missions, and even took him to Stark Towers once. So when Peter suddenly wasn't himself anymore, then disappeared… it was like loosing a brother.

"We are sorry for not telling you sooner, Leedson," Thor spoke up after a few moments. "We… we should have let you known, you're right. You're right; we don't know what those who are recovering went through, and we should have asked someone else for help, but please know that we've done our best to help Peter. And… I think you're right." Happy shot him a quick glance. "If Peter doesn't want to be an Avenger, then he should make that choice. But I think we both know that after everything that has happened with him, that he won't chose to go back to civilian life." The teen didn't look up at that, but they both knew that the Avenger's words were true. "All we're asking is that you could try and convince him to be the best hero he could be; not just for the sake of others, but for himself."

Ned looked up at the hero, so different from the guy he'd seen on TV, and it was hard to believe that this man probably had a life outside of hero work, too. Sure, he was the ruler of a small nation, but he looked so tired and sad, not like the proud Avenger he'd seen before. The teen couldn't help but notice the Asgardian's radical change since the Snap, and he instantly felt guilty for yelling at him. Add that to what he'd said earlier, Ned knew what decision lay before him.

"Sorry," Ned muttered, feeling embarrassed as he straightened in his seat. "I just-"

"It's fine," Thor assured him, giving him a kind smile. "I'd be upset too, if it were my best friend."

Ned nodded, took a deep breath, and looked over at Happy. "So… what do you want me to do?"

"He… he had a flashback during a sparring session; though he was back at the Battle and nearly killed the guy he was training with," the former assistant said, still shaken from the kid's sudden outburst. "He was doing well up before that point; he'd stopped having nightmares, started opening up about what had happened, and started using his super suit again. But now-"

"-Now you're back at square one," the teen finished, and Happy nodded. Ned couldn't imagine what Peter must've gone through; he himself already had a bunch of crap he had to deal with with his family radically changing, but at least none of them had died. "I'll try to talk to him. Are you bringing him home?"

"No," the Avenger replied, "we're bringing you to him."

* * *

**Peter POV:**

It had been a week since his flashback, and Peter was terrified of loosing his grip on reality, slipping back into that hellish nightmare, unsure if it was real or not. He resolved to keep himself constantly occupied in an effort to wipe any thoughts of what had happened from his mind, and to distract himself from the memory of what he'd done.

The number one job of a super hero is to protect the innocent. While it was a sparring match, and they were supposed to be fighting, he'd gone too far and nearly killed the guy, sending him to the hospital. While he hadn't meant to do what he did, and everyone constantly told him that it wasn't his fault, he knew better.

After Thor brought him back to the cabin that day, he'd simply changed into some dry clothes, put his wet suit in the clothes hamper, and crawled into bed, letting the covers encircle him like a hug. The Asgardian didn't say anything to him, but brought in a plate for dinner, and later that night, sang a few songs to help him sleep, even though he didn't ask; he appreciated it, still. The next day, Thor didn't bother asking him if he wanted to train; it was too soon, and instead went with Valkyrie to the training facility.

Today, Peter was watching _Phineas and Ferb_ on Thor's flat screen, using some new streaming service they'd invented while he'd been Dusted. Even though it was technically Fall, he always found the summertime show uplifting and just the thing he needed to no longer feel depressed. He was currently finishing the "Summer Belongs to You" episode, and stared at the screen as the characters sang about flying around the world before the sun set and making the most of every day.

In the background, he heard the door open and instantly knew that it was Thor, coming back from wherever he'd been out in New Asgard. He heard the hero stop in the doorway of the living room, and Peter waited for him to say something.

"I remember this episode; it's one of my favorites."

The teen nearly fell off the couch as he turned to see who had spoken. Standing in the doorway was someone he hadn't seen in over a month, and for a second, he couldn't believe it, wondering if this was some sort of alternate nightmare.

"N-Ned? Is that-"

"Of course it's me!" He held up his hand in the Star Trek "Live Long and Prosper" salute, giving his friend a small grin. Peter returned it, and simultaneously, their salutes morphed into the middle finger, and he finally grinned back, climbing to his feet. Despite being nerds, they hated Star Trek with a passion, and always mocked the "Spock Salute" every once in a while, reminding one another of their shared dislike.

Peter walked forward and gave Ned a hug, not afraid to hide how happy he was. His friend hugged him back, and they stood there for about a minute, not unlike when they'd both reconnected after the Blip. They'd been friends since middle school, and he considered Ned as the brother he'd never had.

"Wait," Peter said, finally letting go and taking a step back. "How are you here? How'd you find out how where I was? Did May tell you?"

"No, actually," his friend replied. "I had no idea where you were; May didn't say anything to me, and I thought you were on a mission this entire time."

His grin faded a little at that. "Oh… sorry. I wasn't planning on leaving; it just… happened."

"I understand that now. Happy and Thor showed up at my school, asking if I wanted to come visit you here in New Asgard. It was crazy! I thought we'd be flying here, but Thor just cut a hole in the fabric of space and time with that ax of his!"

"The Bifrost? Yeah, he does that a lot. Did you puke?"

"I did, but it was totally worth it!" Peter couldn't help but smile at his friend's enthusiasm; ever since Ned learned he was a superhero, he'd taken his friend to Stark towers, and he'd met some of the other Avengers, including Black Widow and Bruce Banner. Every time, his friend would become overcome by nerves and throw up (fortunately he always made it to a trash can in time). "This place is pretty cool! There was this rock alien guy-"

"Korg?"

"Yeah, and he brought me here!"

"Hello," said the mentioned rock alien spoke up, suddenly popping up from behind Ned. "How're you? We haven't seen you in _ages!_ You never told me your friend was so cool! Ned's a pretty nice bloke, in my opinion, and Meek likes him as well." The bug-like alien on his shoulder made a chattering noise as well, and Ned laughed.

"Good one!"

"You can understand him," Peter asked, gaping a little.

"You can't? Doesn't matter; we're going to get some pizza in the town, since they've just opened a Domino's," Korg spoke up.

"It's after six AM in New York," Ned explained. "So I haven't eaten yet. Wanna come?"

For a few moments, Peter wanted to say no; while it was great to see Ned again, he suspected that the teen was there for some ulterior motive. It was too convenient that after he has a flashback that his best friend is brought over to New Asgard to hang out with him, and that his friend was acting too cheery after not seeing him for over a month. However, Ned was still his best friend, and he was doing those pleading eyes he usually reserved for whenever they played their Star Wars Battlefront 2 Game (the first one was a joke). Plus, he was kind of hungry himself.

He smiled. "Yeah… let's go."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, along with the story so far! Part Two's probably going to come out sometime after New Years, so everyone has time to catch up with family and friends without missing any new chapters. **

**Also, I wanted to thank ALL of you for your support, views, favorite, follows, and reviews! You people ROCK, and give me something to do until the new Marvel movies and TV shows come out!**

**Favorite and follow (if you don't already) if you want to be updated on new chapters and stories! And feel free to leave a review with your thoughts and comments on the story!**

**Have a great day, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! See y'all in 2020!**

**-aggiefrogger**

**Also, I do NOT own Star Wars, Star Wars Battlefront 2 or 1, Carmen Sandiego, Phineas and Ferb, Summer Belongs to You (GREAT episode, by the way), Star Trek, the Spock Salute, or Domino's in ANY way, shape or form!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey Readers!**

**A Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays; I know I did, getting to see my family after being apart from them for four-and-a-half months! ****Sorry if I'm posting this at an awkward time; I'm going to be busy all day tomorrow (family trip), and wanted to get this chapter out before then.**

**Well, your patience has been rewarded with this new chapter, which is a Part Two continuation of the last chapter! I hope you enjoy it, and find it worth the wait!**

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**The Guy in the Chair: Part 2**

**Peter POV:**

"Norway's a pretty nice place," Ned spoke up.

"Yeah… I guess it is," Peter replied, taking a bite of his slice of cheese pizza.

After getting some Domino's from the store in New Asgard, Peter, Ned, Korg and Miek had made their way up into the surrounding hills, deciding to enjoy the view as they ate their lunch. It was a beautiful day outside, and cotton candy white clouds dotted the brilliant azure sky. It wasn't too hot, but it wasn't freezing either; it was the perfect day to be outside, and the beauty of Norway was apparent to the small group.

Of course, he was happy to see Ned again, but the brief happiness had worn off by now, replaced with annoyance. Of course, he wasn't mad at his friend for being here, but his friend had obviously been brought here to convince him to continue training and healing to become a better hero. At least it wasn't MJ, but he was still upset that his friend would do this to him.

Peter, ignoring how pale his skin had become from being inside for so long, quickly turned to his best friend, still glad that he had come for a visit. "So… can you really understand Miek?"

"Yeah," the other teen replied. "Remember that one time I took that online alien language course and you said that it was a scam and a waste of money?"

"You've got to be joking."

"I'm not." Miek spoke up at that in his usual indiscernible language, and Ned gave him a confused look. "What's a universal translator?"

"I know what those are," Korg spoke up, still eating a slice of pepperoni pizza. "Basically, they're these tiny devices most species use that allow them to understand any spoken language in their own native tongue. I've got one here." He turned his head to the side, showing a crack in his rocky skin underneath his left ear. "Older models are worn outside of the body, but most today are implanted. Neither of you have one, I think, but it's still impressive that your friend here is able to understand Miek."

"So what planet are you from," Ned asked, obviously enjoying the fact that he was meeting and talking to extraterrestrials.

"Ria, technically, but I was enslaved on Sakaar for a few cycles, and I haven't been back since. Fought as a gladiator in a death arena; nasty business. Tried to rebel once, but didn't have enough support, but Thor helped Miek and I and all the other prisoners escape, and now we live here. Well, not all of us; some elected to go back to their home worlds."

"Why didn't you go?"

"Well, Thor's the reason that I'm free again, so when he needed volunteers for the New Asgardian army, Miek and I were some of the first to sign up. Besides, my whole family's dead, along with Miek's, so we don't have anywhere better to go." He lay on his back, looking up at the sky above him. "This planet's nice and quiet. Beautiful too."

"Yeah," Peter mumbled, looking down at the piece of pizza still in his hands. The group lapsed into silence for several minutes, simply enjoying the day around them, along with the pizza. Eventually, Korg actually fell asleep, making small snoring sounds as he lounged in the sunlight. A few more minutes of silence and eating followed that.

Then, Peter spoke up again. "I know why you're here."

Ned quickly looked over at him, but remained silent while Miek made a few small clicking sounds.

"They want you to talk to me… try to get me to go back to training and being a hero or whatever."

"Just like in _Ender's Game,_" his best friend added, his voice subdued and sober. "Remember that book?"

The young superhero nodded. "Yeah… he ended up going back after his sister talked to him. Wiped out an entire species of aliens after that." He looked at his friend. "Please tell me you're not going to play the Guilt Card or the 'I Need Protection' Card."

"I'm not," Ned replied. "I would never do that to you. But… you're right about them asking me to come and talk to you. They're worried about you; I'm worried about you. You disappear for over a month with no messages, no clue as to where you are, and then suddenly I'm told that you've been on this planet the whole time and that you're thinking of quitting being a superhero."

"And they want you to convince me otherwise."

"They wanted me to talk to you." His friend looked down at the grass in front of him. "They… they know that they can't help you become the best hero you could be if you don't want to be a hero. They probably want you to be a hero, seeing as how most of the Avengers are scattered around, but they know that you're still a kid, and that you deserve a chance at a normal life." He hesitated before continuing. "And, if I'm being honest as well, not having anything to do with Thor or May or Happy or any of them… I think you shouldn't quit."

Peter gave a small snort of laughter at that. "How convenient for them."

"I'm not lying."

"I'm not saying that you are. I'm just saying it's pretty convenient for them for you to side with them on this matter, and-"

His Spider Sense must've been taking a day off at that point, because the teen had no warning of the fist that suddenly slammed into the side of his face. It didn't hurt that much, given his strength, but it still stung, and he turned in shock at who had given it to him. Ned was holding his hand, probably not used to punching anyone, but his face was full of rage, and when he started yelling, it was no small miracle that Korg didn't wake up.

"Don't you_ dare_ assume that I'm siding with them," his friend shouted, his voice loudly resounding around the group. "They sent me to talk to you because I'M YOUR BEST FRIEND! I'm the only person in the world that knows you better than you do! I've been friends with you for _years,_ even before you became a hero, and I've done nothing but support you and be there for you, and you have the nerve to say I'm using our friendship so you'll be an Avenger again?! What, do you think I'm only in it for meeting the superheroes and the aliens and dying and coming back to life because it's cool?!"

"Ned," Peter tried to say, but his friend shouted over him while Miek ate another slice of pizza, watching the two friends silently.

"You're not the only person who lost five years of their life! You're not the only one who lost someone because of what happened! Jessica's graduated from college now; I missed her becoming a doctor! Do you even remember how many times I've told you about how hard she's worked her whole life to become one?! And Sophie's now in _MIDDLE SCHOOL!_ She's no longer that eight-year-old kid you've met countless of times! She's _THIRTEEN_ now; do you know how messed up that is to suddenly see people you know, your _FAMILY,_ five years older and completely different than who you remember?! My family had a _FUNERAL_ for me; they moved _ON_ after I was Dusted!

"But I didn't say _anything,_" his friend continued, a few angry tears welling in his eyes. "I kept my mouth shut after the Blip because I knew that Tony had died, and that you would need all the support in the world because you'd already lost two father figures in the past! And I _gave_ it to you! I was trying my best to help you, but you wouldn't let me, and it was frustrating watching you grow more distant! Then, you disappear, which I get was beyond your control, but after being here for so long, you didn't think I deserved to know where the hell my best friend is?! And you sit here, accusing me of siding with the people that took you, and stare at me as if _I'm_ the one that's lost my freaking mind?!"

His friend finally stopped yelling, more tears streaming down his face as he muffled his face in his arm. Through out all of the years he'd known Ned, Peter had never seen him yell or break down like this before. He'd definitely cried in front of Ned before, but now to be on the receiving end of all of this sorrow and anger left him speechless. Then, when he got over his shock, he started to think.

He'd never asked Ned about him or his family life after they were reunited after the Blip. Sure, Tony had just died, but he hadn't even asked his friend how he was doing, and ignored his friend when he tried to ask how he was doing. Peter had been so focused on Tony dying and everything that had happened to him that he had ignored the only friend he had left at that point. Now, especially after hearing his best friend break down, he felt guilty that he hadn't been a good friend.

"I… I'm sorry," he finally spoke up as Ned's crying started to subside, but his friend avoided eye contact with you. "I had no right… to accuse you like that. You are my best friend, but I haven't been a good one to you." Ned had stopped crying by now, but still wouldn't look at him. Miek, meanwhile, was staring at the teens, seemingly transfixed.

"I know I went through a lot after Tony died, but I shouldn't have treated you the way I did," the teen continued, picking at some of the grass by his side. "Back then, I thought no one could help me, but now I know that wasn't true, and I'm sorry for thinking that you were working against me… I… I hate not being in control. I hate not knowing what's going on around me when everyone else seems to have their lives together. I thought I was doing better but when I had that flashback-" He cut off, realizing how selfish he was being, going back to himself and his problems while his friend was still upset.

"Anyway," he continued, "I should've at least let you known where I was; you didn't deserve all of that extra worry on top of your own problems. And… I get that you're trying to help me, and I'm going to accept it."

"But I can't help you with this part," Ned spoke up, his voice sounding weak compared to the screaming from a few minutes ago. "_You_ have to decide whether or not you should continue being a hero or not. I know that Thor and the others want to help you, but if you think for one minute, that if you chose to stay and continue to train, that I'm not going to visit you or continue to help and support you, then you're not the Peter Parker I know."

Now it was Peter's turn to start crying, and he and his friend embraced again, not unlike when they were reunited after the Blip. Even though they didn't say anything, they could tell that they were both sorry. They also knew that they would both be more honest with one another, no matter what happened, and in that moment, they renewed their friendship. They simply were silent for a few minutes, glad that they were together as friends once again.

However, they weren't expecting two pairs of alien arms to encircle them as well, and their eyes popped open to find Korg had woken up, and he and Miek were both hugging them as well. It was a little awkward and unexpected, and the two teens gave them looks of surprise.

"Glad to see we're all friends now," the rocky alien said brightly, eventually letting go as the four of them separated.

"I thought you were asleep," Peter commented, wiping his eyes.

"I was, but I woke up. Did I miss anything important?"

Peter and Ned exchanged a quick glance, and the latter gave a small smile. "Not really…" the latter said. "You were just in time for the group hug."

"Good! Well," the alien continued, climbing to his feet and stretching his limbs, "Meik and I gotta head back for training and all of that. I'll take the trash back." He picked up the empty pizza box, turning towards Peter with a somewhat serious expression. "I also just got a message from Thor; he's back at home."

"... Thank you," the superhero told him, earning him a knowing nod from the alien as he made his way down the hill. The smaller, insect-like alien waved goodbye to them, giving them a chattering farewell as they disappeared down the path. Their smiles faded after that, and they both became subdued again for a few minutes, staring out at the breathtaking view around them.

"I guess I've got to decide," Peter said.

"Yeah… I guess you do."

They were silent for a few moments before the teen spoke up again. "I… I think I know what my decision is. I've known it for a while now."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Ned told him.

"Of course I'm going to tell you." He turned towards the other teen, giving him a small smile. "You're my best friend. But I also want to know about what you've been going through since the Blip before I do."

The computer expert smiled back at him. "Deal."

* * *

**Thor POV:**

Thor had just finished dinner when he heard the front door open. Even without going to look, he could tell it was Peter.

Based on what Korg had told hm when they'd come back after lunch, the boy had been with his friend for the entire afternoon. Out of respect for the teen's decision and privacy, the Asgardian had stayed away from Peter, allowing him to spend an afternoon with his friend, who was also planning on spending the night at the cabin before going home again. The Avenger had no idea what the teen would choose, but he knew that whatever decision the boy made, he would support him.

He heard Peter walking through the house, finally stopping in the doorway of the kitchen. "...Thor?"

The god of thunder turned around to find the teen standing there, his face neutral, revealing nothing. "Hello, Peter," he said. "Did you have a nice day with Leedson?"

The boy nodded. "Y-Yeah. Kind of a surprise, him being here, but it was great seeing him again. I showed him around the town, we ate lunch up in the hills... it was a lot of fun… Thank you for bringing him."

"No problem. He's spending the night too, if that's okay."

"He mentioned that. He's with Korg and Miek now, picking up something for dinner I believe." The teen looked down at his feet, steeling himself to make his decision. "I… Do you need any help?"

"No," Thor said quickly. "I… I finished with the roast. You can help set the table if you want to; the dishes are in the cabinet over there."

"Fine." Peter grabbed the plates from the cabinet and started setting them on the table as the Asgardian pulled out a knife to cut the roast, giving the boy a sideways glance before focusing on what he was doing. It would probably be a while before the teen would tell him, or maybe he wanted to wait until after dinner. Either way-

"I've decided to stay."

Thor nearly cut his finger off as he looked up in shock at Peter, who had merely set the stack of dishes on the table.

"I… I've known for a while that I was going to stay," the teen continued. "I know that even if I said no, I would never be able to go back to being just Peter Parker. Besides, I made a promise to someone long ago that I would never sit back and let others suffer when I could do something to help."

"Tony," the god of thunder asked softly.

The boy shook his head. "My uncle Ben." Suddenly, Peter walked forward and gave Thor a hug, not crying or saying anything. A moment later, the Avenger hugged him back, a small smile on his lips; he knew that if the teen had chosen to leave, he would be fine with it, but he was glad that the boy was going to stay and become the Avenger that Tony had wanted him to become.

"If this is what you've decided," the Asgardian spoke up, finally letting go of the teen and putting his his hands on Peter's shoulders, "then I support you 100%."

"Thanks," the boy replied with a small smile, which Thor returned. Both of them knowing that while things wouldn't go smoothly after that (they both knew they had a history of things going awry), they both knew that in the end, everything would turn out alright.

* * *

**And that's it for this chapter! I know some of you are probably saying that Ned doesn't have any siblings, but it's never exclusively said in the movie, so... try not to loose your minds. I hope you like the parts with Miek and Korg, by the way; I tried my best to copy the comedic timing and style of the two characters, and I hope it came out well!**

**Don't worry; even though this sort of seems like the last chapter of the story, it is NOT the final chapter! You'll probably know when the final chapter is, though, but I WILL be publishing an Epilogue after that (think of it as an after credits scene, if you will).**

**As always, follow and favorite me and the story if you don't already, just to keep yourself updated on new chapters and so on. Also, feel free to drop a review with your thoughts and comments on the chapter or story so far!**

**Again, Happy New Year to you all, and I hope you have a great day! For those that have school, good luck with that, and if you have work, then good luck with that too.**

**Have a great day!**

**-aggiefrogger**

**Note: I do NOT own Ender's Game, Domino's Pizza or Marvel in ANY way, shape or form!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey Readers!**

**Hope you all have been well and stuff so far this year; I just started my first week of college, and I'm already tired! Fortunately, I still have time to write, so here's the next chapter in this story. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, since you've all liked the last chapters (I was seriously not expecting the response this story received), and have a great weekend!**

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**Goodbyes and Promises:**

Peter sat on the rock, staring out at the sea as the sun slowly ascended into the sky. He found that this early in the morning was the best time to be alone with his thoughts, and had learned by now to bring sunglasses with him so he wouldn't go blind from the sun's rays.

By now, he'd been here longer than originally thought; talking with the adults, he decided to stay in New Asgard until further notice, and May had sent over some extra clothes, along with news of a promotion, meaning they would be moving out of their cramped temporary apartment when he came home. They video chatted a lot, both of them counting down the days when his aunt could get a day off so she could come visit him, as well as to a date a month from now, when he would move back home. Speaking of home, Peter's high school had been wondering why one of their students was spending time in Norway instead of the classroom, but Happy was somehow able to convince them that Peter was still doing the Stark Internship, and that he was continuing his studies abroad (he wasn't really, but since they had started the whole school year over for the Blipped, added to his already high intellect, they doubted he'd fall behind).

Peter had changed (in a good way) since Ned's visit three weeks ago. For one, he looked a lot healthier; the sun was doing him good, giving him an almost healthy glow. He started shaving again, which meant his neck didn't itch from the stubble, and his arms were starting to show some muscle from all the training he went through with the Asgardians and Sakaarians. Besides that, he wasn't having daily nightmares anymore, and his overall attitude was bright. All in all, he was starting to heal, and based on his training so far, he was going to return to crime fighting as a force to be reckoned with.

Now, as he breathed in the fresh air, tinted with sea salt, he couldn't help but smile to himself as he once again remembered how much he'd grown since he'd came here… and how he would be leaving in a few weeks. It's funny; at first, he didn't want to be here, being Shanghai-ed here by Doctor Strange, but now, he wished that he could never leave. But he knew in this case, his wish wouldn't come true.

"Figured I'd find you here," a voice spoke up from behind him, and Peter turned to find Thor walking towards him, wearing sunglasses as well to block out the sun.

"How'd you know I'd be here," the teen asked. "I never told anyone where I went, and I've been doing this for the past few weeks. I could've been _anywhere_ in New Asgard!"

"But this place is special," the Asgardian told him, sitting next to him on the rock. "It's the place I brought you the day you started training again. Do you remember?"

"I do… It's the place where your dad died." He looked up at the god of thunder, suddenly wondering if the Avenger was upset with him for frequenting this spot. "I wasn't trying to disrespect his memory or anything-"

"It's fine," the man assured him. "He would've wanted others to come here, but not to mourn his death or build a shrine to him, but to enjoy the view." He stared out at the sea in front of them. "It is a nice view, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Peter agreed, looking back towards the sunrise. "It really is." They were silent for a few moments, just enjoying the beauty of the world around them.

"I used to come up here to think, back when I had much to think about," Thor spoke up. "I guess I still do sometimes, but I figured you deserved a place to be alone with your thoughts. I know things around here can get kind of crazy at times."

"I don't mind," the teen told him. "I kind of like it, at times. I never had any siblings, so it's kind of nice, having Korg and Miek as my impromptu brothers."

"You know they volunteered to protect you when you first came here," the Avenger told him. "They heard that you were a friend of mine, so they instantly jumped at the chance; Korg even brought you to the cabin, if I recall."

"Yeah… I wasn't exactly kind to him then," the boy admitted. "But I hope I've made it up to him and Miek; they're great guys."

"They really are. I think we're both lucky to know them." They were silent for a few more moments before a sudden thought struck Peter.

"Wait… are they leaving," the teen asked. "Is that why we're talking about them?"

"No, they're not leaving," the god of thunder assured him, "but I can tell something's troubling you; that's why I came."

"Am I that predictable?"

"Not really," the Asgardian told him, giving him a sideways grin, "but call it intuition."

Peter sighed. "I… I was just thinking of how happy I've become since coming here. Looking back… I still don't recognize who I was after Tony died." He hesitated, briefly thinking of the billionaire hero, along with his sacrifice, before continuing. "You guys have done so much to help me, I don't know if I could ever make it up to you all, except but make sure that your hard work wasn't in vain. But I know that in order to do that… I'll have to leave."

Thor was silent after this statement, and after a few moments of nothing being said, the teen continued.

"I _know_ I can't stay; I have to go out into the world and be an Avenger and superhero. Plus, May's finally got a better job, and I know how much she misses me and wants me to come home; Ned too. I just…" He sighed again, staring out at the ocean in the distance. "I'm just gonna miss this place. It's like the perfect spot in the middle of the world, as if it were made for New Asgard."

"You are welcome to visit whenever you want," the Asgardian told him. "I know that Val and the others will want you to."

"That _would_ be fun," the boy smiled. "Maybe even for Christmas; usually May and I are just by ourselves, but it'd be fun to see you and everyone again and celebrate the holiday together and stuff like that." Peter smiled at the thought, already picturing all of them celebrating Christmas and New Years in Thor's cabin, but after a few seconds, he sensed something was wrong. He looked over at the god of thunder, who had remained silent, staring straight ahead at the sea in front of him. "You… you _will_ still be here… right?"

The Asgardian didn't say anything, and in that moment, Peter knew: Thor wouldn't be staying in New Asgard.

The boy suddenly realized how cold the wind was, and his happy, almost bittersweet mood was sent crashing back to earth. It took him a few moments to pluck up the courage to ask, "How… how long will you be-"

"I don't know," Thor told him, his voice hollow and melancholy. "But… I'm joining the Guardians of the Galaxy on their search for their missing friend. They… They're coming to pick me up in a few days."

Peter felt his heart clench, hunching forward a little as he took in this new information; it was so unexpected, he wasn't sure what to think for a few moments. Thor was going to _space_… in a few days… with no idea of how long he'd be gone. The Avenger could be gone for weeks, months, and- The boy swallowed the lump in his throat. Even… even _years._ And that was depending on if he even came back; the universe is bigger than he could even comprehend, and probably full of dangers even greater than Thanos. For a minute, he felt a rising anger at the man for leaving and waiting until right before he did to tell him. It quickly dissipated, however, leaving him hollow and empty inside, as if his new friend was already gone. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, comforting and strong, and he leaned into the hug the god of thunder offered him, not crying, but still shaking a little from the wind.

"I… I'm sorry," Thor told him, sounding more emotional than the teen was.. "After the Battle, they'd asked me to join them, figuring I needed a chance to find myself and spend some time exploring the universe. I nearly did, but… I knew that I had to stay here for a while, help Val and the others rebuild and get things settle after doing nothing for so long. However, we all knew I would leave eventually, and it was going to be a lot sooner than now… but then you came along.

"I was surprised, to say the least, when Happy and Strange came to me, asking if I could help break you out of your depression and help you see the brighter side of life. I had no experience with this type of stuff, and even suggested that you go stay with someone else; someone who knew what to do. Because I _didn't_ know what to do at first, as you can probably remember." Peter couldn't help but give a small smile as he recalled the Asgardian attacking him months ago, but it faded away moments later. "I needed help from Val and Strange at times, but then I realized… I didn't want to help you originally because I wasn't qualified. I didn't want to help because you reminded me of me. I had just escaped the depressed version of me, though it still took me a while to kick the drinking and sleeping in, and it took a lot of convincing from Val and Happy before I said yes.

"It was almost humbling, watching you those first few weeks, and I was reminded of everything Val and Korg and Miek had tried to do to help me when I needed it. I… I had failed them, but I was determined not to let you quit and do the same. And, looking back, I see that I made the right choice, and I apologize for resisting helping you at first." He looked down at the teen. "You know who you are; you know your purpose, your calling. That is a rare gift that most people dream of achieving at some point in their life. Because I didn't let anyone in, so caught up in my past, I lost sight of who I am. I… I _still_ don't know what my purpose in life is; it's no longer to be the King of Asgard. That's why I'm going; to find what my calling is. But I didn't want to leave until I was absolutely certain you were ready."

" … Ready for what," Peter asked, finally looking back up at the Avenger.

"Ready to recognize and answer that call of yours; not just to be an Avenger, but to be Peter Parker. The Sad you would've chosen to stay here, never really moving on and allowing your talents to be fully realized. By recognizing and accepting that you couldn't stay here forever, you've proved that you're ready to become the hero, and the person, you were meant to be."

Peter let the words sink in, finally realizing that Thor wasn't leaving for selfish reasons, and now a whole lot wiser than he was a few minutes ago. He had no idea that Thor wasn't originally willing to help him, and his reason surprised the teen. And what he'd said about him being ready and knowing his place… he had no idea that the Avenger struggled with who he was. He couldn't be mad at him anymore; not after what he now knew about the guy. When Tony was alive, he had never really credited the Asgardian with being the smartest of the group; but then again, people change over time. All that time, Peter had wanted to meet Thor; the guy who could summon lightning and destroy enemies with one swing of his hammer. However, the Thor he _did_ meet, broken and hurting, just like him, was the one he was glad he had met.

"Then you have to go," Peter told him. "I'm not gonna stop you or guilt you into staying, and I'm not going to be sad that you're going. I… I understand why you're going, and I'm glad that you're-" He hugged the man back, unable to finish his thought. "Thank you for telling me all of this."

Thor hugged him back. "No. Thank you for coming here and allowing me to help." They hugged for a few more moments before breaking apart, the sun now completely visible over the horizon.

"But you know," the Asgardian told him, "I _do_ have a magical weapon that allows me to travel anywhere through space instantaneously. So if you still want to visit here, I could try to come visit as well…"

The teen grinned. "You better be back for Thanksgiving."

"I will. And Christmas too." The man grinned at him as well. "Who knows? Maybe you could come visit me at some point on the ship if your aunt lets you."

"I dunno if she'll let me travel that far," the boy admitted. "But it's worth a shot! Will you bring back any space stuff?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno; you could bring back a speck of moon dust and Ned would lose it!"

"Yeah… he's a good kid. I'll definitely bring him back something."

"And something for Korg and Miek and Val and the others. Maybe even another pet for the pegasi to play with?"

"Oh no; pegasi are extremely territorial."

"Like Miek with his pistachios?"

"Exactly!"

They continued talking like this, two friends with seemingly all the time in the world, as the sun continued to rise above them; it was another beautiful, perfect day.

..

When the day came for Thor to leave, it seemed that everyone in the area had come to see the King of Asgard off and watch him officially name Valkyrie the new Queen of New Asgard.

Asgardians, Sakaarian refugees, and humans stood outside of the tiny cabin, surrounding it and the large orange-and-grey spaceship that was parked in front of it, ready to take off as soon as the newest Guardian was on board. The New Asgardians and Norwegians also knew that the Guardians of the Galaxy had helped win the Battle, so they were also anxious and excited to catch a glimpse of them, but no one had spotted them; they appeared to be waiting on the ship. Thor thanked them all for the farewell, saying that they were in Val's capable hands, but then he turned towards a small group standing near the front door, separate from everyone else.

He said goodbye to Val first. She pretended at first that she wasn't sad to see him go, shaking his hand politely before pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. When she finally let him go, and he moved onto the next individual, she wiped a stray tear from her eye. Korg and Miek were sad that their friend and rescuer was leaving without them, but they promised to protect New Asgard and Earth with their lives, and the three of them had a group hug for a few moments before the god of thunder (after giving them whispered instructions) moved onto the final pair of people waiting at the end of the line.

Peter knew that this moment would come; he had told himself that he would be strong and that he wouldn't get upset, but as soon as Thor opened his mouth to say the parting words, he found himself bursting into tears. It was humiliating, crying in front of everyone like this (he was just glad that this wasn't being televised to the word), and he made to quickly walk back into the cabin when Thor hugged him, keeping him from going anywhere. Feeling the hero's comforting arms only reminded him of the upcoming departure, and he sobbed into the Asgardian's jacket, hugging him back; it was too much like Tony and Uncle Ben dying, and now another important person he looked up to was leaving his life again.

"It's okay," he heard the god of thunder whisper in his ear. "There's no shame in crying when you're sad."

"I-I-I k-know," the teen replied, mentally kicking himself for breaking down when he said he wouldn't.. "I'm s-s-sorry, I j-just... I'm gonna m-miss you."

"There's no need to apologize. I'm going to miss you too. But I _will_ come back… I promise."

"I know y-you w-will." They hugged for a few moments, both communicating the thanks and apologies that they didn't have time to speak out loud, before Peter finally let go, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand as he gave his friend a small smile. The man returned it before turning to the final individual.

May Parker hadn't originally planned on coming, but upon learning that the Avenger responsible for her nephew's recovery was leaving, she'd used the whole "family death" excuse at her job to hop on the next plane to Norway. Now, as she hugged the Asgardian, a few tears in her eyes, and she could only whisper, "Thank you…" When he let go, shouldering his pack with his ax strapped to it, she stood behind her nephew, hands on his shoulders, ready to hug him and comfort him after his friend was gone.

Star-Lord and Rocket, meanwhile, were watching the scene from the cockpit of the Benatar, not wanting to be swamped by curious New Asgardians.

"Why can't they hurry up and go already," the raccoon complained. "We've got places to be; we're supposed to meet Fury and that Happy guy before we take off for the Andromeda Galaxy!"

"Lay off, Furball," Quill chided him. "You know as well as I how much family means to them." The raccoon was silent after that, knowing that he was right, and recalling his own tearful reunion that he'd had with his fellow Guardians after the Battle.

Finally, Thor made his way up the gangplank of the ship, but stopped at the top, turning back to face his home, his friends- - - no… his family. They were all crying by now, but all giving him wide smiles as they knew that he would come back someday, and that they would be here to greet him.

" … Goodbye," he whispered, a few tears in his eyes as he finally entered the ship, the walkway closing behind him as the engine roared to life.

Everyone moved back, holding onto hats and such as the wind picked up around them, the engines slowly lifting the hunk of metal into the sky. Craning his neck, Peter couldn't help but wave as the ship lifted further into the air, even though he knew that the Asgardian probably couldn't see him. Little did he know that after this, going back to his room in the cabin, he would find a small package with a note from a certain god of thunder, containing a small communicator to be used in extreme emergencies. Nor did he know that even after leaving New Asgard in a month's time, he'd be coming back several times throughout his life, even when Thor wasn't there. But he didn't know any of that now, so all he did was wave as the ship grew smaller and smaller.

"Goodbye," he whispered as the ship finally disappeared from view, the only thing visible in the sky being the clouds.

* * *

**Do not fear! Even though this is the final chapter of the storyline, it is _not_ the last chapter I'm going to post! Because, as you know, every Marvel story isn't over until the mid-credit and end-credit scenes are over. Yep, the next chapter are basically those scenes! And since there's gonna be another chapter, I'll hold off my final message to you all for that chapter.**

**This chapter was tricky to write. I know that originally, at the end of Endgame [SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT], Thor leaves with the Guardians of the Galaxy. And I knew that Peter couldn't just go home with Thor still being on Earth, since the Far From Home events need to happen. So I came up with the idea of Thor deciding to accept the Guardian's offer. The whole reason he left was to find himself, so that's why I had this whole heart-to-heart between Peter and Thor here at the end. It may not be the most climatic ending, but I still think it's a good one; I hope you all thought so too.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, along with the story so far! As always, feel free to follow and favorite the story if you want to be updated on new chapters and so on, and feel free to leave a review on the chapter if you want.**

**I hope you all have a great and safe weekend, and see you next chapter!**

**-aggiefrogger**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey Everyone.**

**So... my final note will be after this story, so you don't have to read all of it before getting to this, the final chapter of the story. Basically, it's three parts, being the Pre, Mid and Post credits scenes in that order. All scenes take place during and after _Spiderman, Far-From Home_, so a _spoiler alert_ is in effect, and you need to have knowledge of what happens in order for this chapter to make sense.**

**I hope you enjoy this final chapter.**

* * *

**The Pre, Mid and Post Credits Scenes:**

_Pre_

When Peter saw the giant fire monster in front of him, he knew they needed help. He knew he should've gone with what his Spidey-sense told him when Fury and Mysterio told him about the upcoming threat in Prague, but now, seeing it in person, he had no idea how they were expected to beat it with just two of them. They needed help, and he happened to know a guy who was one Bifrost journey away.

"Ready," Mysterio's voice rang in his ear.

"Yes, but…"

"Still worried," the masked hero asked him, referring to their earlier chat.

"Not about what we talked about earlier, but… are you _sure_ we don't need backup," he asked once again. "I can still call Thor, and-"

"No need to bother him," the superhero told him quickly. "We'll be enough. Besides, we need to take this creature out before it does too much damage; just remember what I told you, and don't stay in one place for too long."

"Okay." Peter still had a feeling that things were off; maybe his spider-sense, but he decided not to question Quentin any further. "I'm fine. Let's go." Standing up, Peter swung forward, ready to bring the fire-creature down.

A few minutes of superhero action later, things looked dire; the monster wasn't slowing down like it was supposed to, Ned and Betty were somehow trapped on a Ferris wheel, unable to flee, and Mysterio was planning on sacrificing himself. Even though Beck seemed like a smart person, he was probably wrong in this case, and might die if Peter didn't do anything drastic. Not caring what consequences would come and trusting his instincts, he fumbled for the small communicator he always carried with him, pressing the button, hoping that he wasn't too late.

"I'm gonna have to use all of my power to defeat it," Mysterio said dramatically, preparing to face the fire fiend. "Peter, if I don't make it, just-"

A giant bolt of lightning struck the monster, which vanished in a bright blaze, blinding the teen. Vaguely, he could hear the sound of metal crashing and… was that the sound of electronics shorting out? Opening his eyes, he gaped at the scene.

Thor stood on the ground, surrounded by the wreckage of what looked like dozens of drones, some still trying to project what appeared to be a fire monster. He looked like he'd lost some weight, but still had the beard, Stormbreaker still cackling with electricity. The Asgardian looked around in confusion before finally spotting Peter.

"Peter," he yelled. "Is that you?"

"No, it's Night Monkey," Betty yelled from her perch on the Ferris wheel as Ned did a small face-palm.

_Now_ Thor looked more confused. "Monkey of the Night! What happened to the monster? I got a distress call, and-"

"Thor," Peter said quickly, swinging down to the hero. "It's me, Peter, but they're not supposed to know that."

"I_ knew_ it was you," the hero said happily, beaming at him and giving him a hug. "It's so good to see you again; how goes your friends?"

"We're good; we're on vacation now, but Fury asked me to help him defeat these elemental creatures from another universe. But it looks like they weren't real," he said, picking up one of the machines, which read _Beck Enterprises_ on the side. "They're hologram devices."

"So… there was no monster?"

"There is, but he can't breath fire. Fury," he said into his earpiece, examining the piece of tech, "I think we've got a situation."

Meanwhile, Quentin Beck crouched on the roof of a nearby building, watching his perfect plan fall apart, not believing that an Avenger had shown up and destroyed nearly all of his drones. And soon, Fury would now about it, meaning he was toast.

"Well, shit."

* * *

_Mid_

It was just dumb luck that he'd been outside that night, going to check that the animals in the pen and pasture were secure, when he turned to see something fall out of the sky and into the pasture, nearly scaring the cattle to death; Drew was lucky that they didn't stampede and kill him, but only scattered away from the crater that now occupied the pristine lawn. Naturally, when something foreign falls out of the sky and lands away not too far away from you, you're gonna be scared, confused, and on your guard; especially after the last alien attack ended with half of humanity ceasing to exist before coming back five years later. The teen, knowing that this could be another attack, held his pitchfork in front of him, ready to strike but praying that he survived.

He saw the figure climb out of the crater, notice him, and walk towards him, causing him to stumble back into the fence, trying to keep his breathing even. It looked humanoid at first, but a closer examination revealed a different anatomy. The alien was tall, had orange skin, and pure white eyes. It wore a strange outfit, which included a red cape, armor, and a silver helmet with what looked like wings. Its face was hard to describe, looking almost human, but not, but the teen was more worried about the hammer it held in its hand; it reminded him of that hammer Thor used to use, but he wasn't exactly sure if it was the same or not (when you live several states away from New York, you didn't know exact details about the heroes who lived, or used to live, there). The alien almost looked like Thor in that getup he was wearing, but it was obviously not the Asgardian. However, he wished the Avenger was here now to save him from possible death.

It stopped a few feet from him, staring at him and the makeshift weapon in his hands, a few of the cows still mooing nervously at the stranger. The teen prepared for the worst, hoping that he wouldn't suffer too much, and that it didn't kill his family too, despite them being jerks for the past year. Then, in perfect English, it asked, "Is this Earth?"

The boy blinked in surprise, a little thrown off by the question and polite tone of the alien. But at least it spoke English, meaning he could question it. "That depends… are you gonna kill or enslave me or any of us if this _is_ Earth?"

"I'm afraid not, but if you try to attack me, I will defeat you."

The teen looked down at the tool in his hands, still unsure of whether or not he should trust the alien. "So… I'm gonna keep this up; sorry for not trusting you right away, but we've kinda had a rough few years with alien attacks."

"I assure you my species was not any of them," the alien told him.

"Oh… okay." For some reason, he could tell the otherworldly character wasn't lying. Plus, he wasn't dead yet, so he figured if it wanted to kill him, it would have already. But if it wasn't here to conquer the world, then why _was_ it here?

"What is your name," it suddenly asked.

"Uh… Drew. Drew Daniels." He hesitated a moment before awkwardly asking, "What's yours?"

"Beta Ray Bill," it replied. "I've come seeking an ally to help defend my home in times of need."

"Oh… well you've probably come to the right place," the teen told him, finally lowering the pitchfork as he thought of the countless battles that had been a part of the world for ten years or so, and the group of heroes that defended them. While it was a little off-putting to have an extra-terrestrial in his backyard, it was about time a good guy from another planet showed up in another part of the States that wasn't New England. "Welcome to Earth."

* * *

_Post_

Fury stood in front of the monitors, scanning the satellite images.

"It landed in Texas," one of the agents said, pulling up the exact coordinates for him to see. The other agents sat at similar desks, gathering information on what had just happened, as well as other goings on around the world.

"Friendly," he asked.

"No telling; it blew right past our satellites without attacking, and so far there aren't any reports of attacks or extraterrestrials from the sky. It could just be a visitor."

"All visitors have a purpose," he reminded the young agent, walking over to a communicator. "Unfortunately, they came at the worst time for us, so we'll need help until we can get there."

"Don't tell me you know the number to alien bounty hunters, sir," another agent spoke up.

"Don't sass me," he snapped jokingly, bringing up a screen that showed an outgoing message. A few seconds later, the person he was hoping to see appeared on the screen, despite the late hour.

"I hope this isn't just another mis-dial," Talos told him, the skrull looking annoyed at being woken up so early in the morning.

"It isn't. Has anyone found out," Fury asked.

"No… we've been doing a pretty good job so far. But, since you suddenly seem so curious, does this mean you're coming back to Earth?"

"Yes, Maria and I are both coming back. One thing we need from you, however, is to help find an individual who's just landed on the planet, find out their purpose for being there-"

"And take them out," the alien asked.

"Do Skrulls always assume the worst?"

"Not always, but if you're calling me this early in the morning, I can tell I'm not that far off."

"Well… you're right about that. At least take them into custody; pretend to be human so you don't cause a panic. Understand?"

"Fine," the shape-shifter replied, yawning a little. "But do we have to leave now?"

"Yes; sending the coordinates your way." And with that, Fury hung up the call, turning back to the skrull agents who sat nearby, the nearby window showing the vast expanse of space. "How soon until we reach Earth?"

"About 10 of your Earth hours," one of them told him.

"Is there a party back there I should know about," Maria Hill asked, walking into the room at that moment.

"I'll fill you in," Nick told her. "They may need our help if this new player in the game is a dangerous one."

* * *

**And that's it for this chapter, and this story.**

**WOW! Writing this started out with a dumb idea of what if a movie ended differently, and turned into this story, which I have to say, I'm pretty proud of how it ended. I know the end-credits scene with Thor is kinda short, but most of these credit scenes are, so I didn't want to drag it out too long; plus I wanted to make my own version of how _Far-From Home_ should have ended!**

**Also, _Beta Ray Bill!_ I know! He's apparently supposed to be in the new Thor movie, but I brought him here now! He's on Earth, looking for an ally in the Avengers [most likely], and finds himself on a remote farm in Texas. And SHIELD doesn't know he's good! Hope it seems like a realistic credits scene; I wanted to use new characters, while combining some of the old, creating a whole new story-line since Peter [SPOILER ALERT AHEAD] never gets his identity revealed by Mysterio because Mysterio gets defeated pretty quickly. I know, kind of anti-climatic ending compared to the original, but I felt that it worked in this case. But, also, if you know who Drew Daniels is, good for you!**

**Now, for the sad part; I want to thank all 26 story followers, 32 story favorites, and the eight people who left reviews for their support for this story; you know who you are, and I thank you for giving me the inspiration to continue writing this story, even when I had no ideas for the next chapter! If you favorite, follow or leave a review after I post this chapter, then I thank you too. I was also gonna do a list of all the people that favorited and followed and left reviews, but I figured, for their privacy, I shouldn't post them. And, finally, I want to thank the hundreds of you that read these chapters, even if it was just a glance, and even if you only read and didn't follow or favorite. Know that I appreciate you all too.**

**If you've just read this for the first time, starting the day that I post this final chapter and on past that, I thank you too.**

**Of course, I hope you enjoyed this final installment of the story. Feel free to follow and favorite the story if you haven't already, and feel free to leave a review on this chapter or others in the story. And, as always, have a happy and safe week/weekend!**

**Goodbye, and, if I may say, Excelsior!**

**-aggiefrogger**


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